I LOVE this family photo the best. Steve's head got chopped off in my scan, but I am going to go back to Sears and see if they can print this picture portrait rather than landscape, because it cuts off Morgan. I think it's a really great picture of all of us. :)

She's so cute!

This is my favorite one. Morgan loved the background too!

LOVE the background... and Morgan in her fabulous easter dress

Easter family photo taken at Sears

Easter

Happy Spring! Yesterday was Easter. We had this whole Easter brunch planned. The Hagan's were coming over with @11 month old Krysta, Sabrina and Matt were coming over with @6 month old Raegan, and we were going to have brunch. Marci was going to bring Cinnabuns, Sabrina, a big bowl of fruit, and Steve was going to whip up a famous egg... something. Then, at 12:30pm, we were going to go to a local easter egg hunt at a nearby church, followed by Easter photos. The little ones were going to put on Morgan's bunny costume for pictures in a basket. I even had space prepared for the pack-n-play for afternoon naps. It was going to be fun.

Then Steve came home from working 4 days, we haven't seen him since early Wednesday morning, sick. Steve doesn't get sick, so when he says he's sick, he's sick. I cancelled on everyone. He went to bed. We didn't really see him for the rest of the day. I was SO bummed. But like Marci said, we can have breakfast anytime. We'll just have to gather together soon for the kid photos. Still....

I was NOT going to let this interfere with the Easter Egg hunt. Morgan was a little bitty last year, so I was determined that this year, she attend. It was rainy and windy outside, so I dressed her in a long sleeve shirt and jeans, and she wore her adorable Easter dress over it. Then I finished it off with a nice sweater, and her famous pink hat with the fringe. I called Sabrina up, as I needed another pair of hands and a person to handle the camcorder, and we went anyway, even though it was drizzling, leaving Steve in his cocoon of blankets and the dog on the floor.

Kids were already "hunting" when we got there. Visible from the street was the 3-5 year old section, the 2-4 section, and the babies-2 year old section. However, we didn't see the sign, just saw the madness of the kids hoovering the piles of eggs. Because of the weather, they had literally been dumped in this roped off area. The first section we came to happened to be for the eldest kids, but we just wanted a chance to snag an egg before they were all gone, so we weren't paying attention.

Morgan didn't care about the eggs. Actually, I have decided she's going to be a doctor, because she didn't care about the whole eggs. My little lambchop would head straight for the egg bits, the little halfshell laying all alone off to the side, it's bigger half and the candy that was inside somewhere else, perhaps in the bottom of an easter basket. She'd pick up the discarded little body, and study it closely, and then move on to another. It was actually somewhat funny.

Eventually I got her to the right section, where I saw that some children couldn't even walk, and I am certainly glad I did. There was a clown there who didn't scare her at all. They looked at each other for a little while, and then Morgan moved on. She was thoroughly fascinated by this particular families basket, practically laundry sized, FULL of eggs. They didn't have a problem hoarding the loot. But Morgan wasn't having it. She wanted one from the middle. I had to drag her away. She didn't think our small Easter bucket was particularly interesting, apparently. And I was just trying to get pictures.

I was saved from that task when a man with a long zoom lens approached me and asked if I'd mind if he took some pictures of my little lass. He just happened to be a photographer from the Redmond Spokesman. I almost fell over with glee, and promptly begged that he "please put her picture in the paper!" It was the darn hat. That hat gets them every time. And I almost picked another because I wanted to try something different, but it was the only one she had that had adequate ear coverage from the wind! Boy am I glad I did that! He later said he took 6 good ones of her, took her name and age, and was off. We'll find out on Wednesday if she's made her modeling debut. She did look rather cute in her getup, if I do say so myself.

That Easter Egg hunt saved my Easter, and I have no regrets. As Marci said, we can have breakfast anytime. I do feel bad because Sabrina had purchased these adorable rabbits for both Morgan and Krysta, and also had a huge bowl of fruit that she will have trouble eating. Apparently Matt doesn't eat much besides chips, which may account for his poor health. And, the Merritts haven't celebrated a holiday in many a moon, and were really looking forward to coming over, as I was to have them. I'll have to snag some of that fruit....

:)

P.S. Pictures when they've developed!

Suspense

I don't want to keep my loyal fans on their toes regarding the happenings in my life, so here's a quick update. I'm busy. That's why I haven't written.

Morgan takes up every waking moment. She won't let me work, and I need to put in 32 hours a week. She won't let me sit, because she wants me to play with her. If I get settled down with a toy, she loses interest in about 5 seconds and moves on to something else, most likely something at the other end of the house, and most often it has an outlet attached to it, a sharp edge, shoelaces, or a precious photo adhered to it. What a stinker. She reminds me sooo much of the dog when he was a pup. If I was outside planting flowers or something, Cooper would be able to sniff out my hand oils, and he'd follow right behind me and rip it out of the ground. They just KNOW.

Sabrina and Matt just moved down the street, and other than the fact that Sabrina keeps popping over to visit only partway through Morgan's nap, and the dog freaks out and wakes her up, it's been fine. Now that it's spring it's been snowing, so the dog can't be outside, which is why I have to mess with his panic disorder. Normally he'd be outside, because I can't deal with his excessive blond hair ALL over everything. Yesterday I had Morgan on the futon with a bag of fruit snacks, and she started gagging. Turned out she'd dumped some of them out, and as she'd picked them up and popped them into her mouth, she started choking on the nasty bits of Cooper's backside that had adhered to their sticky surface. Didn't taste much like strawberry anymore, and her gag reflex clenched in protest. Yes, Cooper has apparently been sneaking onto the futon again. I thought we'd had that habit broke. So now it's piled up with various objects to hinder his inclination.

This week Morgan has started to do a couple of new things. First, when asked, she will show you where her belly is. We work on that at bath time. I am also working on nose and eyes, but I think the belly was the easiest, because it is something she can look at. I am happy with our progress. Also, because of our scrapbook weekend, she'll walk up to me, put her finger to her lips, and go "shhh". I certainly hope she isn't trying to shush me, but I think it's funny that she remembers us doing that. Let's see, she's also been walking up to Cooper lately, pointer finger extended, and starts giving him a tongue lashing. I think it is in response to my constant beratement of his poor manner regarding the food bits on the kitchen floor, the constant barking, and the general interference with my daily routine. He isn't allowed on the kitchen floor, throws caution to the wind and goes in there anyway, because the small square of cracker is worth more than the reprimand he'll get from me. Whatever.

Yesterday we made her first fort. I through a comforter over a chair and the couch. She LOVED it. She played peekaboo, went back and forth under it, layed on it, pulling the blanket down, etc. It was such an easy piece of entertainment. It wore her out, and she went to bed for the night shortly thereafter, making us both happy campers. Love her to death, but also enjoy those few precious moments to myself, when I don't have to work anymore, and can do what I want. It normally involves cleaning something as well, which I HATE, but it has to be done, and I feel much better when I can relax in a cleanly environment.

I have recently started scrapbooking and putting premade pages for sale on Ebay. I am not as skilled as some of the other artists on there, don't have the time to put in the quality an extensive artistic elements that some of them use, but I am getting better. I have never been detail oriented, but certainly appreciate it when I see it, so am working to do better. The problem is that I got a lot of neat stuff at the scrapbook convention, but am hoarding it, because once I use it, it's gone! I need to think instead of the wonderful product that will come from it's usage. I, of course, save the best stuff for my own projects. Last night I just finished a Mickey Mouse page, and since it's been 15 years since I myself have been there, it'll go on Ebay. I just have to wait until after Easter weekend to list it. Nobody bids on stuff on a holiday, and it is best if your auction ends on the weekend, because that's when the most people are sitting at their computers surfing the net. Anyway, my current goal is that the Ebay thing funds my personal scrapbook obsession, because that would be great. It can get expensive!

Alyca gave me a screaming deal on a Quickutz press and some alphabets, and I am already running with it. I am currently trying to get some additional shapes, including a multi-layered bottle cap shape set, a belt buckle, and a butterfly. I like the multi-dimensional shapes, as well as the tags, fasteners. I am sure they will come to great use.

Anyway...... Steve and I are doing a quick pause to get our finances in better order. In looking we have really seen how important to our financial future it would be if we were able to keep our current home, so we are trying to ensure that this happens. We really do live in a nice place, and it wasn't until we were looking at others, and contemplating selling it, that we truly appreciated what we already have. So we want to keep it. Sabrina and Matt signed a one year lease on their duplex, so maybe we will move on in a year, so that they can in turn move into this house and rent until Matt gets done with his schooling and they get a better, more substantial, and supportive income. In the meantime, it's nice to have family nearby, it's been years since that has been the case, it will also be something I have to get used to, and it will also be great to utilize the new babysitter that I now have down the street. It will be nice to actually have some time alone to get some work done.

Speaking of which... I'd better get back to it. Teletubbies is almost over...

She finally figured out what the sunglass were for.

Girl hair

Contending

I just found out that the Contender, the highest costing reality show ever, was only number 3 in it's time slot last night. Can't believe it.

I am a country bumpkin housewife of sorts, mother of a small toddler, and I was succccckkked in like you can't believe. I think it was produced very well. They made you care about the fighter, so much so that when it came to the fight, I couldn't even breathe, I was so nervous for my guy. Peter. I couldn't stay up till 11 last night so I taped it, and when I watched it this morning I had to hush Morgan, because I couldn't bear to even pause the darn VCR. I thought it was very cool. But poor Peter lost. I can't believe it! Alfonso is 10-2, and Peter was 21-0! I don't think he has to worry about his future, though. If he was fighting nearby, I'd even consider purchasing a ticket to watch, and I don't like boxing!

Signed

Reality Show junkie

Latest and greatest scrapbook page - pictures taken 1/3/05 - I am skipping ahead - I still haven't finished month one, and now I have new pictures from Alyca that I have never even seen before. I almost need to start over!

Funky girl hair

Morgan in a potential Easter dress for Raegan that she was wearing as a shirt.

Taking a break for fruit snacks.

Oh U.

Pre-approved!

Yes, we are pre-approved for a construction loan. YippeEE! I does feel weird, however, because we don't currently have a lot, or a finalized plan, so I have nothing tangible to grasp. But now, we are on the hunt for property. We were approved with the goal of keeping our current home. That's good too! We didn't want to have to sell it to move on up. Perhaps we won't!

The big greeeeen giant

Is it wrong to be completely jealous of someone else's life? To wish that you were doing what someone else was doing, or that you had what someone else had? Don't get me wrong, I love my life. But sometimes I wonder if, rather than a country girl, I should have been a city girl? I don't mind the urban environment, I don't mind walking everywhere, wished we lived where I could go to the market with the stroller, but most of all, I'd love to be a world traveler.

Mom went to Crane last weekend to visit Zoe, and stayed with Cathy. While there, Cathy got a phone call from Amy. Apparently her husband Matt designed, 0r had something to do with a computer program, and has to go to Paris to a convention, class, or something. And Amy just HAS to go with him. I am seeeething with jealousy.

Steve will never be taking fancy inventions to far away lands for me to visit. In fact, he doesn't appear to have much interest in visiting European countries, although he would go if I wanted to. He would just never approach ME with the idea. I am not saying we won't travel, or that he doesn't want to. No, that's not true at all. We definitely have plans. Right now, however, we have a 13 month old, are contemplating new housing, planning for a sibling, I am trying to fit in 32 hours of work at home so that I can be a stay-at-home mom, which is definitely a priority and one that I am so proud to be able to fulfill, we are paying for an expensive car that will be solely ours in a few months, and just..... busy. But I do have the travel bug, and will be happy to give in to the sickness when the opportunity is right.

Grandma Rufi who lives in Evanston Wyoming has not had the pleasure of meeting our little lambchop. She's in her mid '80's, and it takes her all day to wash and remake her bed, so the idea of a 14 hour car ride does not appeal to her to come in our direction. Therefore, we need to head in hers. Steve is hoping to time it right so that he can make another trip to the Fiero ranch in Lyman so that he can squeeze in another Antelope hunt. There are so many that it is only a 1/2 day event to get one, so that isn't a big deal. As he has been after me to schedule the trip where Morgan and I also attend, and with the news of Amy's exciting life, I felt, hey, why not take a few extra days from work, and see some of the American sights I have heard about but never had the chance to visit!

We are thinking to go several days early, and maybe see Yellowstone, and go to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I have heard great things about both, but have yet to check them out. Now, I know, it ain't Paris, but it is something I have wanted to do. One more check mark on the places I want to see. Paris can wait a few years, until the kiddies are baked and bigger. So we are making that plan. I think we will go in September around Labor Day and our 5th wedding anniversary. Yes, 5! Married 5 and together for almost 10. Egads!

Anyway, on another note, we are off to the mortgage lender at 2pm today. She thinks she'll be able to get us approved for a construction loan. We are a little nervous, however, because we do have other debts that are strangling us a little, and, with the desire to also keep our current house, may be stretched a little thin for a while. No movies and big dinners and such. But we'll see. It will be nice to get pre-approved anyway. That way, if we find the lot, we can instantly jump on it. So, I will update when I know the details!