Celebrating 3 years of Morgan

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I Love Your Smile Contest by EllaPublishing Co.

So here's my first digi layout using Photoshop without an instructor walking me through each step. I know it isn't very elaborate but I like it all the same and I'm proud to say I did it all on my own. It's a great start! Plus, I couldn't help but use a pic of Morgie. She's such a Sweet Pea in this one that she really does make me smile!

Toy Story....here we come!

I don't think it is any secret that Braly LOVES Toy Story 1 and 2. So when I heard that they were releasing them back in the theater in 3-D I knew it was something we would have to do as a family. I was hoping that our theater would have it here but alas, we will be driving 1 1/2 hours to Marquette on Saturday to catch the 12:15pm double feature of Toy Story 1&2 with our fancy 3-D glasses to make the experience even more interesting. I'm sure I'll have to try to convince the kids to leave their Toy Story toys at home but I'll settle for at least leaving them in the car. I'm praying that Morgan is totally interested in watching both of these movies on Saturday & doesn't need to run to the potty a million times causing (probably me) to miss the movies. I'll admit it, I really enjoy Toy Story and can't wait till the 3rd one comes out in the theater too. I'm anticipating the release of the 3-D versions on DVD/Bluray for the holiday season. Shhhh...don't tell Braly, if I'm right, he might get them for Christmas. Then he won't insist on watching one of them every time he visits Grammy Cheryl & Papa Blaine. Or maybe he will still want to watch it all the time. He may have been doing it long enough now that it has become his tradition. Guess we'll eventually find out.

Silly Sleepy Boy

Tonight we spent extra time brushing teeth since Gabby & Braly had dentist appointments today & brought home all the fun 'new' goodies like toothbrushes, floss, & kid toothpaste. (not that we didn't already have a cabinet full of this stuff but they got 'new' stuff that they insisted on using & brushed for awhile.) It was finally not a fight to get something like 62 teeth brushed. (Gabby is missing 2 teeth but has all her 5 yr molars in so I think I counted them correctly in my head.)

Ok, so teeth were done & it was time for reading to begin. Braly has just started the Book-It reading program & is supposed to read for 20 mins each day. Gabby is supposed to chart at least 15 mins each day of reading so I read the last chapter of Mary Poppins to Gabby while Braly started doing some reading on his own. Then I headed into Braly's room and read 2 Scooby Doo beginning reader books. Adam is working the pre-load tomorrow so that means he'll be going in to work at 3am so he was in bed reading his book. So you get the picture, everyone is reading to settle down for the night. Not sure how it happened but all 3 kids ended up in our bed with Adam so he could read them one last book. I told the kids they all needed to go into their beds to sleep because they are getting so big that it is getting harder for me to move them back to their beds when they are sleeping & I have to carry the dead weight of their body back to bed. Gabby is the worst, not because she's the biggest or anything but because I have to practically throw her onto her top bunk & I'm a mere 5'2" which doesn't seem to help me out much. I'm sure you're laughing picturing how that takes place right?

So while I was trying to get Morgan to sleep Braly snuck his way into mom & dad's room & was laying under the bed. I might not have known this if Gabby had not mentioned it as she was coming into the room to climb into bed. After Morgan was sleeping I headed into my room to see if Braly was still hiding under the bed & I had a great laugh. he was laying under the bed sleeping. ROFL I should have ran to grab the camera & captured it because it was quite humerous. I told Adam that Braly was under the bed & he practically said "no way!" Guess Braly did a great job sneaking tonight. Adam pulled him out & I carried him to his bed & tucked him in but I still have the image of him sleeping under the bed in my head & it is FUNNY!

Sassy Little Bugger

This morning I was calling Morgan to come to me so I could dress her. She was in the other room and here is how the conversation went.
Mom: Morgie, come here please.
Morgan: I'm not Morgie.
Mom: Come here Morgan.
Morgan: I can't I'm Morgan Annette Pierce
Mom: (mumbling) oh ok. (Louder) Morgan Annette Pierce, please come to Momma.
Morgan: Ok, I'm coming. (proceeds to run like she weighs a ton)

This girls is just too funny. Right now she's trying to convince me that its ok for her to wear her pants backwards. My rebuttal was, ok then, you won't be able to see the glittery horn then. It worked...she turned them around & is proud to show me the horn with little sparklies on it. She's so cute, even if she is a sassy little bugger. I love this girl!

Already 2 weeks in...

Yes, I'm back & longer than EVER!!! well maybe not longer...I won't know till I'm done. LOL

Gabby came home yesterday & told me that her new AR reading score is 3.1-4.1. I was like wow you've improved over the summer. I think her last score was 3.2 and that was the high end of the rage. Then last night I had the opportunity to meet Gabby's teacher. She's very nice & she told me that she's probably going to take Gabby & a few of the other kids that read really well & let them get through their stuff very quickly. I was thinking...hmm that's kinda cool. (Guess I didn't realize she was at such a high level.) Especially since last year she struggled to have time to take her AR tests but as Adam reminded me, her teacher last year said that had to do with her age (she was the youngest kid in her class & some kids were almost 2 yrs older than her) & that we shouldn't worry about it.
Fast forward to this afternoon when she gave me all her papers from school. She had her STAR test results and as I read the results my eyes teared up. Yup, call me an emotional sap if you must...I won't deny it. (And doesn't that make you feel sorry for Adam when I was pregnant & had more emotional stuff to deal with. LOL) Back to the present, as I read the results I was totally impressed & proud of my little girl (whom isn't so little anymore. Well she's still really tiny compared to other kids her age but she's growing up fast.) Apparently her results stated

"Gabby reads at a grade level equivalent to that of a typical 4th grader after the 3rd month of the school year. She reads at a level greater than 97% of other students nationally in the same grade. This score is above -average. She is at least 80% proficient at recognizing words and comprehending reading material. And she is at least 80% proficient at reading 3rd grade words & books. And her Zone of Proximal Development is 3.1-4.8."

It may seem like I'm bragging a bit because....well, I am. But not because I think she is more brilliant than any one else's kid. This is more of a relief to me that we made the right decision to push her into the class that we did when she started elementary school. This is me being extremely happy for her that she excelled in something when I think she has always felt like she was lagging behind & would sometimes get frustrated with her school work. I am so proud of her & feel as though all the time we've invested in her is finally showing. She still struggles with adding & subtracting & it was getting to the point that I was nervous that she just wouldn't get it but tonight she was telling me ways I could figure out that 7+7=14 if I didn't know it. If I knew 6+6=12 then I know that I just have to add 2 more to get to my answer. This isn't how she was thinking just a few days ago. And she still struggles with being quick to get things done but as she's maturing I see her speed quicken too...she may just blow us COMPLETELY out of the water & I'd LOVE to see that happen. She's just exceeding my expectations & I'm lovin' it!

Though I haven't talked to Braly's teacher yet to see how she gauges his abilities; I have no doubt that he's doing well. He has been reading for quite a long time & is getting better at sounding very large words out. He's been able to count well over 100 for a long time too so he's doing great there but he struggles with the fine motor skills of writing his name and coloring in the lines neatly. I think that has to do a lot with his personality so I'm not overly concerned. I was hoping that he wouldn't get bored in his class since he knows all the letters & the sounds & that is something they are working on as they learn to read. The great thing for Braly is that they changed the way they are teaching the kids the letters & the sounds by incorporating sign language. It's fabulous & he's really enjoying it. He's been coming home & showing me the letters that he's learned & signing them. I'm glad that I learned them when I was little so I can help him out. It's pretty cool to be able to relate to what he's working on. I find it funny that he thinks I'm a cool mom since I know the stuff that he's learning. Kinda like this summer when I started playing Super Mario Brothers 3 on the Game Boy Advance with him. He told me I was pretty cool since I can beat so many of the levels. I dare say that I'm even better than dad. LOL. Braly talks about several kids in his class & tells us of things that he's been playing with some of his new friends & some old friends (from previous classes at Headstart) while they are out at recess. He is quite the social butterfly.

One of the best things about this year (I am unbelievably thankful for) is that Gabby & Braly get on the same bus at the same time in the morning. They are A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!! No, I really mean it! They hold hands as they cross the street to get on their bus & then sit together & wave, make faces, blow kisses, etc to Morgie & me as the bus drives away. This is the BEST thing in my book. I no longer have to struggle to get Gabby on the bus & Braly too. He gave me a hard time a few times last year. oh.... Gabby has been difficult for the last 4 years that she's been attending school. NOT this year & I think it makes a HUGE difference in her demeanor and in her school work as well. It has been wonderful for me to be able to wave "see ya later" to them and walk in the house with a smile on my face & not have to collapse on the couch from emotional exhaustion that I had to force my child to get on the bus because I knew it was the best thing for her to do, that she likes school, and would be fine by the time she reached the end of our block.

Today was a great day and I thank God & my family for this wonderful glorious day that I have been privileged to have enjoyed. All praise to Him! Now it's time for me to get some sleep. At least its Sat & we get to sleep in. horray!!!

Our 10th Anniversary!

What? It's seriously been 10 years already? Time sure does fly by and yet at the same time it doesn't seem that 10 years has already gone by. I sure do love Adam & I know that he loves me. I am thankful that he is so patient, kind, loving, a great role model, awesome father, a hard worker, intelligent, family oriented, godly man, handsome, man of great integrity, leader, talented, etc... I feel completely blessed to have said "I do!" 10 years ago on the most beautiful summer day in front of God & many of our family & friends. Truly Blessed!!!! Thanks Babe for 10 years...we've got a lot more ahead of us. :)

Everyday Life 2009

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School 2008 to 2009

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Morgie Alpha

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Happy July!

Can't believe it is already July 1st. Time just keeps slipping away from me. And our summer is filling up quickly with places to go & things to do. It's so nice having the kids home with me. I really do like it. And I especially love watching them play together.

Today I am getting my hair trimmed & dropping the kids off to my friend Tiffany's while I get a mini pampering session. Then off to the gas station to spend too much money & get some milk and then home again, home again, jiggidy, jig, jig.

Really need to make a grocery list to do some shopping probably tomorrow. I'm so thankful for wonderful children that are willing to help me (sometimes with a little coaxing) to put all their laundry away & haul it to the basement 3 times a week. So helpful to the family & such a blessing.

Must head out soon. I really need to put a slide show of pictures on here if I can get it to work. I always seem to have trouble getting them to upload. It takes so long & I really have to concentrate on getting my last photo book done & ordered by Saturday. I sure am feeling the pressure lately & yet still enjoying the summer.

Where does the time go?

I can't believe it has been nearly 2 months since I updated this blog. So many little things have happened in that time & yet things still seem quite the same. Funny how time goes by so quickly.

We're still in the middle of redoing the dining room & I have run out of ambition to wash the wallpaper paste from the walls at the moment. I think getting the wiring half done yesterday will help rev up my ambition to get it finished so we can have things moved back into their places & be 'more normal'. At the moment the 2 bookshelves that belong in the dining room are in the living room crowding it a bit. But at least I don't have ugly wires hanging from my walls & ceiling now which is an improvement.

Gabby & Braly have had gymnastics all this week. Today is their last day & I know they are going to miss it but at the same time I think they will enjoy not having to get ready to leave somewhere every day. Will seem more like summer vacation next week. Adam was going to have next week off but due to some scheduling errors he's taking a partial week & will take another partial week at a different time when it fits into our schedule so we can do some fun day trips.

Gabby had to have a filling that she had a few months ago fixed yesterday. Part of it must have been a tad too high & it chipped off. She's turning 7 on Sunday & I have yet to figure out what to buy this girl for a gift. Normally she's got all sorts of ideas of what she wants but not this time. Kinda nice in a way because maybe that means she's content with the things she has. I don't think one can say that about most children. Since her birthday is on Father's Day this year I have to find a way to celebrate both events, making them special & I seem to have run out of ideas at the moment. We are heading to Marquette Childrens Museum on Monday but I feel that there has to be some celebrating happening on the actual day.

Morgan has been having breathing trouble, stuffed up nose, especially at night for the last few weeks & it is getting OLD! That means that after having a breathing treatement, a few hours later she wakes up totally freaked out & is hard to calm down. I don't think it is nightmares but rather trouble breathing because sometimes she's finally calm & then she starts crying again. I've gotten out of her a few times now that her nose hurts & it causes her to cry. Seems that another doctor visit will be in store for us next week. I may try to get Braly & Gabby's checkups done at the same time since we go to Iron Mountain & its just better to make the trip there really count.

Braly is so excited that he'll be going to the same school as Gabby in the fall. He'll be in the regular Kindergarten class which means he'll go straight to 1st grade the following year. He counts to 100, reads quite a bit & knows so much. Yesterday he told me that he knows everything. LOL how funny is that? I told him he does know a lot but he's got a lot more to learn.

Gabby & Braly are signed up for the summer reading program & now we have at least 6 hours of reading ahead of us. Good thing I enjoy reading to the kids so much & that we do it quite frequently (and that we can get it done at the same time so it isn't 12 hours of reading b4 they turn their slips in). The kids enjoy our devotional reading every night. Although Morgan is a little hard to get to sit down sometimes. But she's only 2 1/2 so she'll come around. We've got such an awesome daily devotional book for the entire year. It's simple for them to understand & to read themselves if they choose & it has the cutest art work. I really enjoy it myself & really like the things that it teaches us to do.

I've got TONS of pictures to post. Especially of our visit with Carol, Travis, Darien, Alexis, & Nathan. All I have to say is it was a lot of fun to meet them & start to get to know them. And Gabby, Braly, & Morgan had so much fun with them that they cried when they left. In fact, Braly cried for the next few days each time he thought about playing with the boys. Really makes me realize how much he misses having boys to play with. Playing with his sisters just isn't the same. Wish all the cousins were closer so they'd have each other to play with but since they aren't, I'm going to have to do better at getting some friends to play with him & do boy things.

Time to wrap this one up. Sorry it is so long...oh wait...not really. Just trying to keep everyone in the loop as best I can & obviously I haven't been doing very good so I'll try to do better. It's time for me to eat & get the kids ready for our last day of gymnastics. I've got videos & pics of them doing the balance beam, vault, uneven bars, & floor exercises. They are so cute & so full of energy & minimal fear. Oh to be a child again.

Puppies are fun!

So today we are puppysitting for my sister. The kids are loving it so much. They spent about 1 1/2 hours petting it and now she's sleeping.

I was on the phone & Morgan said, "Momma, quick, the puppy is pooping." I run to see and had to ask, "Where Morgan?" She says "right there" & points to the floor. I try to hold my laugher in and tell her. "That's the puppy's tail!"

She likes to hold the puppy & talk to her & she pulled the towel out from under the puppy & tried to wrap her in it instead. I think she thinks the puppy is a doll instead. ROFL

I hope the day with this cute little puppy is as easy as this morning has been.

It's been ONE year already!

A year ago today I decided to start up a blog. So happy anniversary to Pierce Productions! I had planned to do up a longer post for today but guess what? Life happened & I was way too busy so something had to get skipped.

Alright, I'm off to watch American Idol with my honey as soon as he finishes with MarioKart.

Poppin

Tried sharing this several weeks ago when I made popcorn for the kids' snack. So much fun for me to watch the kids wait for the popcorn to pop in our Stir Crazy Popper. Brings back wonderful memories of eating popcorn with my parents & sisters while watching tv like TGIF on Fridays.

To our wonderful Friend

Happy Birthday Pastor Chris! We hope you had a great day & were shown how much you are loved & appreciated by all those around you. We feel privileged to be your friends and wanted you to know that we really appreciate your dedication to God & His ministry & how much heart & energy you put into our youth ministry! May you be blessed beyond measure and know that we love you very much! Enjoy this humorous video.

Happy St. Patty's Day

Top o' the mornin' to you! And a Happy St. Patty's Day to ALL!!!

Today is the day that I miss my Grandpa Mahoney the most. Why? Because if you called him he'd answer the phone by saying, "Top o' the mornin' to you!" I'm not really sure how much Irish he had in him but I like even knowing some of my heritage comes from the Irish. Green has been my favorite color for such a long time that I don't remember when I started liking it best of all colors. Was it that I liked the color green or was it when I found out I have a smidgen of Irish decent. Whatever the case...I LOVE green & I enjoy celebrating this glorious day. I like thinking about St. Patrick teaching people on the Emerald Isle about the Trinity using something that was so common to them as a shamrock to explain how one could have three things in one. God the Father, God the Son, & God the Holy Spirit. Did you know they get like 90 inches of rain a year to make it so beautifully green there? Fairly soggy to. LOL

One of my dreams come true would be to travel to Ireland and see some of the castles. Perhaps try to kiss the Blarney Stone in Cork. To hear some authentic Irish music and see their parade to honor the man who taught them about God. I'd love to try some of their traditional foods too. I've read that cabbage & bacon is something they eat. I'm not into drinking green beer but I do enjoy an occasional Shamrock shake from McDonald's. I know, the Americanized twist to the holiday.

All of my family wears something green on this special day. Morgan is just wearing a necklace & hair clips. Braly has bits of green on his jammies (he's still sick so we opted for Incredible Hulk jammies today), and Gabby is wearing a green dress, has a shamrock sticker tattoo on her cheek & an Ireland flag in the shape of a heart sticker on her hand. Adam is wearing a green shirt as am I (along with green eye shadown, earings, & necklace, & occasionally my small LOL green hat).

Hope your day is filled with fun, love, memories, & green! ;)

I finished a page today! AND made these

March is Reading Month and on March 2nd it would have been Dr. Seuss' 105th birthday. So in honor of Reading Month, each child in Gabby's class is to dress as his/her favorite book character. Gabby picked Cat in the hat so I did my best to make a Cat hat for her & made an extra one for Braly so he wouldn't feel left out. He may even wear it to the store tomorrow. Not too bad for not even having a 'real' pattern. Although I must say, one should NOT be sewing late at night & think that progress will be made. I messed up the 2nd hat and had to rip a few things apart & sew it back together the correct way...TWICE!

I'm officially a week behind in my online scrapbooking class (normally I have time warps of an hour or so but not a whole week...sheesh, not sure how that happened). But I wanted to share my finished page today. I know I posted about the story back in Dec when it happened but I tweaked the journaling a little & assembled the page & this is what I came up with.

The journaling reads:

I rocked and sang to Morgan as usual and she fell asleep enough that I thought I could lay her in her crib. That just wouldn't be happening tonight...she needed extra snuggles so I sat back down in my trusty 6 1/2 year old rocking chair. I did the whole routine again, singing, rocking, patter & rubbing her back & she fell asleep again. I tried to lay her down but she just hung onto my neck and wouldn't let go. I began to get frustrated thinking of how tired I was and all the things I still had to get done & wished she would cooperate & just go to bed. As I plopped back down in the rocking chair it was that moment that I realized she's always been like this. She was just being herself & how could I ask for something more. My thoughts jumped back to a little over 2 years ago and the struggles we faced when she spent almost her entire first month of life in the hospital with breathing trouble. At the time it was my prayer that she would have the strength to stay with us and not let go just yet. This little girl was still hanging on and had very good reasons not to let go.

After rocking awhile, I walked over to her crib & set her down inside and told her that I'd rub her head and hold her hand if she would just lay down. She plopped very quickly into position and looked up at me with her beautiful, trusting blue, sleepy eyes as if to say, "thanks momma for not leaving me just yet." I sang some more, rubbed her head & tussled her hair a bit until she was nearly asleep. She opened her eyes one more time to see that I was still there & grabbed my finger to hang on to just as she used to in the hospital, then fell into a deep peaceful sleep.

I feel completely blessed that God gave me the opportunity to reflect on events from two years ago till now. Remembering the strong desire I had to hold her all day long and couldn't made me appreciate my extra snuggles with her tonight. Morgan is strong and loves to be snuggled & held. God made her a touchy, feely child because He gave her exactly what she needed to make it through her rough start. Tonight was a moment I'll always cherish.

~journaling written on Dec 30, 2008 by Jeannette~

I'll have a Kindergartener again soon

Yikes,
Where oh where has the time gone? Seriously. I registered Braly for Kindergarten today & I'm not quite sure how I feel about the whole thing. Bittersweet I guess. While I am excited for his new adventure I am also sad that he won't be a preschooler for much longer. The way they are doing Kindergarten this year is new because of new requirements and I don't know if I want him in the full day class or in the half day class. It's going to be so much for him & yet I think he can handle whatever is put in front of him. He should be at the same school as Gabby so they will either ride the bus together twice or just once depending on how they place Braly (full or half day). Sure would miss him if he was gone all day though. Guess I'll deal with whatever level he tests at next month.

Is everyone sick??? a video & some pics

Sometimes I can't believe how long it has been since I blogged. Things have been crazy around here. Last Sunday Braly got sick in the evening & then was fine when we woke up. Then Gabby was sick all of Monday which was supposed to be a fun day since there was no school. She spent the entire day throwing up. Poor thing. She had a fever in the evening so I couldn't send her to school on Tuesday according to the school rules (though I know that some parents do it anyway). My stomach felt awful on Tuesday & Adam ended up coming home & had been throwing up & spend the day sleeping/throwing up. I held down the fort enough & thought I would get to go to bed & then Morgan woke up & spent the next several hours being sick. I ended up having to sleep on the couch with her so I could get to her quickly if she threw up. Good thing I did because she was laying down one of the times & was having a hard time sitting up with she started throwing up. 4 trips to the bathroom, 2 baths & 2 changes of jammies later she felt better & slept for a few hours giving me some much needed sleep. Needless to say I have not been exercising much over the last week/2 weeks & its driving me crazy. I've got to get back into the swing of it because I was doing good for so long.

Now onto some cute stuff. I shot a few quick videos of Braly singing some of his Letter songs that he's learned at Headstart.

Haven't posted pics of Gabby lately since she's at school all day. So here is a new one of her. She picks her own clothes out every week & last week she got a little more creative with her outfit choices. I think she did a great job!

Then she got Braly dressed in a pirate costume & he picked out a princess costume for her. I love when they take turns & play nicely together.

And here is Morgan sleeping in a very interesting way. She was walking back & forth while laying on my chair & I walked out of the room. When I came back about a minute later, she was sleeping. Completely zonked.

Some day off of school

Poor Gabby. She had today off from school for President's Day and it was NOT a good day for her. Good that she didn't miss any school because of it but I think it was actually the reason she was sick in the first place. This is the 2nd time this has happened to her in the last few months. Gabby wakes up & since she doesn't have school she figures there's no need to be on a schedule. So she runs off to play with her brother & sister until she's SUPER DUPER hungry and feels sick. She then tries to eat something & a little while later the nausea starts & doesn't seem to go all the way away for the entire day. I hate seeing her like this but I am hoping this is the last time this happens. Perhaps she will have learned from this small thing that ended up becoming a GIANT mistake. oops

Add Morgan to the mix with the cold that she has with a cough that doesn't sound so good when she runs & it wasn't the greatest of days. I had to pick up Morgan's asthma meds so we went to Shopko for a quick trip. Gabby insisted on staying in the car & Morgan stayed with her. I ran to Joann's to see if they had any cute super sale items & then out to the car again. Morgan was sleeping & Gabby was finally resting.

It's no fun making dinner when no one feels like eating it. We may just do leftovers tonight since I will probably have to dedicate more time to the sick ones. Pray for their speedy recovery please.

Guardian Angels

Morgan has been really into playing by herself after her brother & sister go to school. So I didn't think anything of it when she put on Gabby's mini pink backpack & was walking around the house. Then she went into the playroom & was playing for a little while.

what I am about to disclose is of great embarrassment to myself as a mother. I'm not perfect & I guess I already knew that but I did think that I had a better memory than I did today. Let me just smack myself in the forehead one more time before I blurt this one out.

Earlier today when Braly & I were waiting for his bus to arrive we were outside working on clearing some of the ice & water away from the sidewalk so that when it refreezes it wouldn't be quite so slippery. Well after Braly got on the bus & left I let Morgan come outside with her snowpants, boots, coat, hat & mittens on. I knew she'd get drenched in the puddles because she kept talking about playing in the water. I worked on the ice some more while she got herself wet & then we headed for the house only we went in the back door because I knew Morgan was drenched & didn't want to track all that wetness in through the whole house. What I didn't remember was that the front door was wide open & Little Miss Morgan knows how to open the door now. Ya know where I'm going with this one don't you?

We ate lunch, played a little & then I did the dishes & proceeded to dance to a few songs with Morgan & then sat down at my computer to organize some files. That's when Morgan went off to play with the pink backpack & whatever other toys she felt like playing with. Only after a little while she was really quiet. I didn't hear her smashing around any Dora House friends or talking all cute so I started quietly looking for her so if I found her doing something cute I could watch for a little while. Oh she was cute alright. But not doing something I cared to let her continue doing. I knew EXACTLY where she was as soon as I saw the extra sunlight coming in through the open front door. I quickly grabbed slipped on a pair of shoes & ran outside to grab her. She was dancing around with her pink slippers on & was wearing her pink backpack. She even had on her mittens (that were still soaking wet from earlier). She told me she was going to school/church & she wanted to keep playing in the water. Slap forehead again!!! How could I be so stupid & forget to close & lock that door? I brought her in the house & explained that Mommy was scared that she could get hurt outside all by herself & that she must NEVER do that again. Know what her answer was? "I so sorry Momma, I so sorry!" Obviously I forgave her & now I've got to work on forgiving myself about the mistake. Talk about a humbling experience and making me ever so grateful that I know she's got Guardian Angels watching over her when I'm oblivious to her sneaky act. You had better believe that door will be locked all the time now & all this summer too. whew!

She's currently tucked away sleeping ever so sweetly in her bed right now.

Our New Puppy

Morgan has been playing with these puppy ears since they came in the mail for Christmas from Grammy Bonnie & family. She has tried to get me to wear them but I'm not as cute a puppy as she is. ;)

I love watching her imagination grow & develop. Unfortunately she seems to be trying to give up naps & made it really hard for me to get her to rest yesterday. After reading, rocking, & singing to her she decided it was time for me to leave the room. I closed the gate so she couldn't come out...or so I thought, and came downstairs. I could hear her talking, getting books out & walking around & then I looked up & saw toes poking through the banister. She figured out how to not only open the gate but close it back up as well. Talk about sneaky. She could have gone in Braly's room & been really quiet & I would have thought she was still in her room with the gate still locked. So no nap for her but she did go to bed around 7:30pm and got up around 7:15am. Not too bad a night's sleep which makes me think that she will try to give naps up soon. Not sure I'm ready for that yet or not. We had fun coloring together though & playing puppy instead of napping.

Snifty

Do you know what Snifty is? Probably not...I didn't either when Braly said it today. It actually means both spiffy & nifty and that's how you get snifty. So I guess it means that something is neat, cool, awesome.

Braly is pretty snifty!

Edited to say: He's saying snifty in the picture. He's right on the 'fff' part.

Back to shopping....arg

Normally I like shopping but this time I'm fairly annoyed. I did a lot of pricing, comparing, measuring, etc before I purchased the Roman blinds that we have in our house. They all match which looks nice, clean, & uniform. Well after only having them up for about 1 1/2 months they faded & looked stupid. I called the company & had them replaced. I then proceeded to treat them with a UV protectant but probably should have done a few coats because now they are discoloring AGAIN. Now I have to do more shopping around to find something else that will work for us. It wasn't easy the first time to find something that would fit all our different windows & I even had to have one custom made which was pricey. Guess I'll be spending the better part of my day searching for something that won't fade, won't cost us a fortune & will be nice looking. I never thought shades would drive me so crazy. Oh well, could be much worse so I choose to have a good attitude about it.

Crockpots are awesome.

If you haven't ever used a crockpot you may wonder WHY they are so awesome. Well....because you can make a deliciously homemade meal with short prep time and the aroma wafts through the air as it is cooking to make a delightfully yummy smelling house. Maybe this isn't so good for the waistline because it can tend to make one feel hungry. Guess I'll just have to drink water as I wait for the dinner to make itself. I think crockpots are the best dinner makers in the winter when all ya want is a nice warm meal with little prep work. I found a recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Caccitore at the Kraft Foods website http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/Pages/home.aspx and now their Food and Family magazine is available online too. They have some yummy & simple recipes to check out. Such a variety to choose from that you are sure to find something you like. We'll see how the family likes this crockpot one & see if it becomes a classic in the Pierce Family Cookbook that I'm working on. I might even take my 365 picture of the crockpot today.

A day to lollygag

Today is the last day of the marking period at Gabby's school and is therefore a teacher in service day. So Gabby doesn't have school. Braly doesn't have school on Fridays and Morgan well, she's 2 so she doesn't have school either. haha Instead of getting up early to exercise like I've been doing for the last few weeks, I decided to sleep in. This choice came easier than I had hoped since I'm really trying to make healthy choices for a lifetime. But earlier this week Morgan started acting funny, she was waking up at 4:30 then 4:00 then 3:00. I would get her all tucked in & settled down & then she'd be up what seemed like 5 minutes later. Arg...just as I would start to drift off I'd be woken up again. Doesn't make for a good night's sleep. Then when I finally got her sleeping for longer than a few minutes I listened to her & realized that she was all stuffed up & was probably having a hard time breathing so she couldn't relax enough to fall asleep. So I fumbled around in the dark to find her meds & get the machine that is loud to begin with but at 3:50am seems like an airplane in your room. I gave her a breathing treatment while she slept so there was no fighting, well not from her anyway, I had to fight to stay awake long enough to make sure all the meds were gone. BTW, her meds are in liquid form and are put into a little cup that is hooked up to the nebulizer and the nebulizer turns the liquid meds into a vapor for her to breathe & get down into her lungs. I must say the breathing treatment was well worth my time beacause then she slept until a little after 7am. Last night I gave her some Benedryl for the runny nose (its the only stuff that seems to work for her & the plus is that it makes her a little drowsy). With her comfortable & able to breathe nicely, she slept the entire night without so much as a fuss. So I slept great, feel refreshed today & was able to enjoy breakfast with Morgan, get the dished done & the kitchen cleaned up & then catch up on some computer time. Now I'm off to burn some calories. Just because I slept in doesn't mean I have to skip it today. That's the beauty in the lollygag kind of day. And the sun is shining & we seem to be having a heatwave for Jan...temps are between 20 and 30 degrees so it might just be a good day to sled down our mini hill before lunch. Time for some fun!

Looks like a fun new movie

Finally a new background

Ok, my friend Traci steered me to this website with blog backgrounds & I LOVE it. Only problem was their server was down for awhile so no new backgrounds until now. Don't they have the cutest ideas? Don't be surprised if I keep changing them to different Valentine backgrounds....it's easier than moving the living room furniture around to get that 'new look'. LOL

Nothing much happened today. Kids had school. Morgan took a nap. Oh yeah...I recorded Morgan singing the Hello song from our Kindermusik class today. I should probably upload my pics from the camera. Haven't done it in awhile which is why there aren't any 365 photos on here. I think I'm still going to try & do the project. I better get caught up fast then eh?

Edited to add a HINT: if you are having trouble reading the words because of a particular background, just highlight what you want to read. It usually does the trick. Now if you can read this you'll be doing good right? ROFL

Ramblings from another day off

Well it's 10 below out there & -25 with windchill. Another cold day in the UP. And today we can really stay home...at least I hope so. I have a house that is begging to be cleaned after a bit of neglect on my part. I have kids looking to play all day long & some newsletters/cards to get addressed so they can actually be sent before next Christmas rolls around & the news isn't so newsy any more. LOL Much to be done today.

And if I can swing it, I plan to post some pictures from my 365 project as well. That is last on the list though so it might have to wait until tomorrow. Gabby has even asked me if she could borrow the camera to take a picture. She wanted to document her lunch yesterday. I had packed her a lunch for school & since she didn't have school, she insisted that she still eat it. Who am I to argue with her because then I didn't have to make her another one & she was very pleased with it. Which makes me happy. I'm sure I'll post later when I take a break from all the cleaning.

So much for staying home

Instead of being able to stay home all day we ended up with Kindermusik class despite the schools being closed. And I must say that it actually wasn't as bad outside as I thought it was going to be. I of course warmed the car up prior to leaving & made the kids bundle up in EVERYTHING. And really, it wasn't that bad. I think it would have seemed much worse if we would have had to walk outside for any longer than we did. The day is half over & the temp has finally gotten into the positive side. Glad we went to class. THe kids had a lot of fun & then we stopped at Staples so I could get a much needed cooling fan for my laptop before it burns up on me.

Off to haul the Christmas boxes back downstair to store. Then I think some loud upbeat music is called for the get some much needed cleaning done. The kids are playing nicely together (knock on wood) & I am ready to do some cleaning.

No School Today

Well today I woke up & checked the temperature & it is at -10 F without including the wind chill. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Yeah, that's cold. They keep saying -25 with the windchill. So most all schools are closed, even the colleges. Of course Braly got up earlier than he has been & woke Gabby up 30 mins earlier than she normally gets up & I have a hard time getting her to get out of bed when I wake her. She went back to sleep though or at least is laying quietly in bed. Forget that, I hear her & Morgan talking to each other right now.

I'm actually kinda glad that school is canelled for selfish reasons. Now I can concentrate on getting the rest of the Christmas decorations organized & boxed up & brought to the basement. Then I can try to rearrange the furniture & get this house back in order since I've let it go over the past several days. With no school, I don't have to spend time getting kids ready & waiting for buses. Instead, the kids can get dressed at their leisure, and then play while I clean things up. And since Braly owes me a few chores, I can get him to pay up. I could have the house back in shape by the end of the day & still have a nice dinner ready as well.

So I'm off to get ready for the day now that my exercising is done & breakfast is eaten. Hope everyone else is able to stay warm too. Our house is nice and cozy...thank you Lord for blessing us with a wonderful house.

Special Weather Statement for Delta County, MI

Can you believe the temperatures they are forcasting for our area? Can I get a Brrrrrrrrrrrr Brrrrrrrrrrrrr??? I'm planning to do the grocery shopping after church tomorrow & then stay home ALL week. I don't want to trigger any asthma episodes for Morgan from the cold weather if I can help it. I wonder if we'll still have music class or if the kids will still have school? I just got them used to being back at school with their schedules after the 2 week Christmas break. And temperatures like this mean no outdoor play but possibly cabin fever.



Issued by The National Weather Service Marquette, MI
4:51 am EST, Sat., Jan. 10, 2009

... VERY COLD WEATHER EXPECTED THIS COMING WEEK...

EXPECT THE COLDEST AIRMASS OF THE SEASON TO ARRIVE OVER THE UPPER GREAT LAKES MONDAY NIGHT AND PERSIST INTO FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL BELOW ZERO BY LATE MONDAY NIGHT AND BOTTOM OUT AS LOW AS 20 TO 25 BELOW ZERO LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY AWAY FROM THE MODERATING INFLUENCE OF THE GREAT LAKES OVER THE WEST HALF OF UPPER MICHIGAN. THE MERCURY WILL STRUGGLE TO REACH ZERO DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS ON TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY... ESPECIALLY OVER THE INTERIOR SECTIONS OF WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN. PLAN ON WINDS TO BE 10 TO 20 MPH DURING MUCH OF THIS PERIOD... RESULTING IN DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS AS LOW AS 35 BELOW ZERO OVER THE INTERIOR WEST HALF ON THURSDAY MORNING.

You Are Being LOVED

Ignore the spelling mistakes that you may see in the lyrics that pop up. I didn't do them but I did notice them.

Happy Birthday Renee'

Happy Birthday my dear sister. I know we called you & sang but I just wanted to let you know, and anyone else that reads our little blog, that you are very loved. Don't ever let anyone tell you other wise. God created you special. He delivered you from a rough starting life to a life worth fully living. I know it hasn't been without bumps & bruises along the way but you are a very special woman. When I hear this song I think of you often & pray for you. You have always been special & WILL always be special. Read the words & write them on your heart. Recite them when you are feeling down & remember that God loves you & so do I. I love you so very much. BTW you're like 28 aren't you? I can't believe that 28 years ago I got a little sister that I wanted to see so badly even though you were at the hospital far away. I think that maybe that's one of the reasons I changed my mind about bringing Gabby & Braly to the hospital when Morgan was there. I didn't want them to keep wishing they could see their sister. I remember when you came home from the hospital the 1st time. You were very small & I remember wanting to help Mom take care of you. She finally let me cup my hand & pat your back. I felt like a HUGE help. Seems so long ago & yet I still remember how excited I was for you to come home to us. I hope your day is nice & that you know how much you are loved. May God fill this year with a bounty of blessings & that He will guide you through the trials you encounter along the way. Happy Birthday little sis!!!

09. You Are Being Loved (Steven Curtis Chapman) (who else??? LOL)

So you think love is only for the good enough

And one thing you're never gonna be worthy of

But there's a song being sung over you

By the One who breathes life into you

You are being loved

You are being loved

Right now at this very moment

You are being loved

You are being loved

Right now, you are being loved, loved, loved

You are being loved, loved

You are

You ought to see the smile you're bringing to your father's face

You ought to hear Him sing His version of Amazing Grace

Cause that's the song being sung over you

By the God who breathes life into you

You are being loved

You are being loved

Right now at this very moment

You are being loved

You are being loved

Right now, you are being loved, loved, loved

You are being loved, loved

You are

With every breath that you're taking

And every beat of your heart

Even while even this song is playing

Whatever you do, wherever you are

There's a song being sung over you

You are being loved

You are being loved

Right now at this very moment

You are being loved

You are being loved

Right now, you are being loved, loved, loved

You are being loved, loved

You are

You are loved, loved, loved

You are being loved, loved

You are

You are being, you are being

You are being loved

You are being, you are being

You are being loved right now

There's a song being sung over you

There's a song being sung over you

There's a song being sung over you

There's a song being sung over you

You are being loved

You are being loved

You are being loved

You are being loved

You are being loved

You are being loved

You are being loved

You are being loved

Right now

There's a song being sung over you

There's a song being sung over you

There's a song being sung over you

There's a song being sung over you

Right now

Project 365

Project 365 is another scrapbooking kit but not just any scrapbooking kit. This one is meant for you to take a picture a day (or you could save a wrapper of some sort) and then journal about the day. That's 365 somethings into your everyday life. Talk about a commitment but talk about a lot of fun to be had. I am hoping to either win one of these (hence the post about it here) or perhaps order one if CK is able to make more kits. I think I will get the kiddos to help me on this project & maybe Adam will pick something for a day here or there. I think that we will either start next Sunday collecting our photos or maybe I'll come up with something for yesterday & today (since it's not over yet). Sounds fun doesn't it? Okay, maybe not to some of you but that's okay too. I enjoy this kind of stuff & I really love saving memories to share with my family. Happy January 5th to all of you! :D Head on over to http://happydaisyaz.blogspot.com/ to check out this gracious person who is giving away one of these sought after kits.

Oh no, she's growing up too fast

Last night in my attempt to get Morgan to sleep around the same time as the other 2 I put her into her crib and gave her a book after doing the usual bedtime routine. She was tired but I guess she didn't want anything to do with sleep. I had Gabby in another room so Morgan wouldn't bother her when she was trying to fall asleep. She didn't really cry for long, it was more of fussing & annoyance and then she was quiet. I thought for one split second that maybe she had finally decided to just lay there & fall asleep. Then I heard it. Cheering. "I did it!" "Yeah" "I did it!" So I started wondering what she did because then she was just chattering for a little while & then I knew. She was standing at the top of the stairs & said, "Momma, I did it. I come stairs?" So I told her to come down & asked her how she got out of her crib and she said, "I jumped." No lie. That's what she told me. Later I asked her & she said, "I climbed, I jumped." Needless to say she slept on the bottom bunk bed last night & I'm thinking that she may have just graduated from the crib. I knew it was coming since she wouldn't let me put the side of the bed up for awhile & would just lay there & sleep but now that she can climb out....that's the end of that. I'll leave it up for maybe a few more days just to make sure but it looks like our baby is growing up & I'm not sure I'm ready for it. Gotta get the gate installed on her door so she can't wander through the house. At least we don't have to worry about her opening the door to outside like we had to with Braly at the apartment. I love our house.

Finished

We originally thought that today was going to be a "fun" day to play as a family since Adam had the day off but our plans changed a little. Installing the carpeting in the Rec room in the basement has been looming over our heads for 2 months now & today we were finally able to finish it. I am soooooooooooo thrilled for it to be completed. Who knew that after the sewage backup left the carpet wrecked it would take us nearly 2 months to get everything back into order. Sheesh. Now we have our room back & its better than ever. A nice brown shade of carpeting rather than weird blueish stuff. We have the tv hooked back up as well as my new exercise bike in position along with our new organ from Great Grammy Jackie & the keyboard we are borrowing from Grammy Cheryl & Papa Blaine. I also put my stability ball & all my weights & exercise DVDs in the basement so now it really is a Recreational Room. I'm so excited to be able to exercise on a non-squeaking floor. LOL I haven't taken any pictures of the room yet so that will have to come later. Maybe I'll even pull out a before picture to share.

Happy New Year to one & all.