Owen's Party (In Pictures)

Playing with all his new cars. He was making a tunnel for the cars to roll under!

Deciding to take matters into his own hands. He thought he could put his new table together himself!

"Whoa! Big Bulldududududu!"

Showing Gramps his new fire truck.

Loving his singing card from Nana aka "Mina"

Loving his party. He had fun spending time with all his family.

New Thomas books. These now sleep with him. He loves to show me something new every morning.

He had so much fun with "Mina" last weekend. We were all sad to say bye.

The adult cake. Thank goodness my mom was here to help with this one (it wasn't as simple as I thought). It was a busy weekend!

Sharing Owen's icing

With Uncle Andy and Aunt Jessica. I thought this turned out great!

"One more hug!" for Great Grandad

Eating some guacamole with Grammy. This is one of Owen's favorites.

His own special birthday cake (really two cupcakes smashed together with some sugar/fat for icing)

Part of the table. We had green chicken enchiladas with a black bean salsa, guacamole, and Tostitos scoops hint of jalepeno. These are by far my new favorite chips. Owen enjoyed some Stacy's pitas because of the corn allergy.

At the Dinner Table

In an attempt to keep the boys engaged at the dinner table (lately they just scream back and forth and think it is hilarious--ugghh) we were reviewing some counting skills with Owen. We counted to ten, and then to keep things challenging, we counted backwards from ten. After reaching zero, there was a pause as we continued eating. Micah said "Owen can you say negative one?" If he has his way, I think he might try to teach Owen some addition and multiplication by next week!

Happy Birthday Owen!

Owen Andrew, sweet boy, happy birthday to you! When we found out I was pregnant, we wanted another son. The Lord blessed us with you. You came into our lives two years ago and forever changed all of us. Micah had no idea at 22 months what having a sibling meant, and we had no idea what raising two boys would be like. While there have been trials, I think we would all agree that these have been our favorite two years yet! We would never go back. You came into the world a sad baby who wouldn't leave his mama's side. I couldn't bear to send you to the nursery, so I held you almost non-stop for the two days we were in the hospital. But boy did you change after we brought you home. You were the most content baby, and you slept all the time, in your own bed no less! Funny, you still sleep roughly 15-16 hours a day! From day one, you have been in love with your big brother. We prayed for a friendship between you two, and we love watching the two of you play and love each other. It is hard for you to be the youngest sometimes. You want so badly to be one of us and to do what we all do. It has been a joy to watch you get excited to try a new food because we were all eating it, and to watch you transition into other "big boy" things. You thought potty training was a privilege, so it was not the chore I feared. You have a wonderful sense of humor. We commented when you were six months old that you were going to be a funny guy, and boy are you! You keep Micah in stitches, and I often can't wait to tell Dada your latest clever words. You want to be heard. Lately, you scream and get incredibly sad if we forget to acknowledge you or miss the dump truck (or fire truck, or tree, or flower, or fire hydrant etc.) that you were trying so desperately to point out. You love attention and affection, and while you are content to run around the house most of the time, you will sometimes need to sit in our laps for hours watching a movie or reading books. You love to be read to. It blows my mind that you will lay in the bed with me and read until I finally have to say that is enough! You point out everything in the pictures and get so excited when you recognize different letters. Your brother loves you immensely. He will often say "where is my Owen?" if you are no where to be seen. You have helped him loosen up and be a little boy, and he loves to protect you and teach you things. Your Dada loves to come home to you because you get so excited and run straight into his arms screaming "Dada, Dada!" We love you so much, Owen. We are praying that you will continue to grow healthy and strong and that the Lord will continue to bless you. May he give you a heart of flesh that strives to bring glory to Him. May you look only to Jesus for salvation. May he grant us many more birthdays, smiles, and hugs!
Your birthday
Your first birthday-loving the cake even though it had no dairy or eggs!

Still no dairy or eggs-you are such a champ about your special food!

The Sounds of Easter

"Christ is risen! He is risen INDEED!"

Saturday at Cheekwood

We took a stroll through Cheekwood botanical gardens on Saturday afternoon with the boys. Matt and I figured we would be the only ones to really enjoy it, but the boys actually loved pointing out the beautiful flowers and walking around the gorgeous grounds. The last half hour or so they became restless as we wandered through the art museum, but that is understandable. Here are a few shots from the day.

Palm Sunday

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Revelation 7:9-11

Way Back Whensday

Well, it is Thursday again. I can't seem to get this done on time. Alas, here are my pictures from April 2002 per Raechel's request. I love these pictures because I loved this time in my life. One amazing thing about going to college in Auburn, Al was the fact that we were only 3 hours from the beach. Seriously, friends and I would pack a picnic and leave at 8am, have lunch and lay out on the beach, enjoy a yummy seafood dinner and head home. Oh, how carefree things were pre-parenting! These pictures were actually taken during one of Matt's fraternity parties called "Fiji Island." Traditionally the Phi Gamma Deltas would build this enormous structure and hold the weekend long party at the fraternity house, but this particular year it didn't pass fire codes, and so the group decided on a beach trip to Destin. This trip was especially memorable because we rode up with and shared a room with the Browns. Nathan and Matt were already close friends, but we were really only aquaintances with Taylor. We had no idea that the Lord would be orchestrating a life-long friendship with two (now three) wonderful people. Nathan and Taylor had been praying for a "couple" friend to spend time with, and the Lord provided for them and us! It is often hard as a couple to make friends with another couple. So much has to click between the group. The weekend was filled with so much encouraging conversation and fun times. I will always be grateful for these special people and our wonderful beach trip together 7 years ago! See you next week, hopefully on Wednesday!

Potty Training Update

So, we are on day three, and I must say that Owen is doing far better than I thought. We have had no accidents for the past two days! He even knew exactly what to do with his bm's (surprising to us because that was and still is a very hard thing for Micah.) He has stayed dry through his naps, so we have officially used only three diapers since Saturday (way to go Owen!) I am sure we will have set backs, but I think we are close to being able to try those cute little boxer briefs that await on his shelf. Right now, he is still wearing no pants in the house and diapers when we go out (just in case.) Next line of business: getting him off that potty seat and using the big potty.

Potty Training: Take One

So after receiving and reading some random Baby Center e-mail on potty training children under two, I decided this would be the weekend. We also had some encouragement from our pediatrician, who claims Owen to be a pretty verbal boy (communication is a key to successful potty training) and from Owen's never-ending attempts to be like his big brother and use the potty! Potty training is one of those things that is easy to put off: I mean who doesn't like the convenience of diapers. But since Owen was interested, I figured we would have to bite the bullet at some point, and I sure would like the extra $30 a month! So we have been talking it up all week and this morning, while I was still enjoying some "me time" I hear Matt, Micah, and Owen singing, congratulting, and talking about jelly beans. I quickly ran downstairs to discover that in less than an hour, we had success! Good job Owen! So, we continued on with our potty training Saturday: playing only downstairs, (hard woods make for easy clean-ups!) wearing no pants, (just Owen, we decided we could all keep our pants on) eating a yummy new snack-pretzel crisps, (buy one-get one free at Publix right now) and drinking lots of full strength juice and sweet tea. Micah enjoyed the festivities and helped tremendously in teaching his little brother how to use the potty. I really think this made it so much easier for Owen. We love you, Micah! Thank you for taking your role as big brother so seriously and helping us out so much! We called the day a success with three pee pees in the potty, only one accident on the floor, and two successful trips outside where he even pulled his shorts down. He ended the day with a temper tantrum, maybe his first real one ever. I guess all the excitement and frustrations of the day caught up to him. He was screaming over and over "more pee pees again" and hitting the floor, his own face, etc. Poor guy just got too overwhelmed and tuckered out. He is now power napping-we are going on four hours. I am interested to see how the evening fares.

Way Back Whensday (on Thursday)

Raechel, per your request, here are the belly pictures. An unexpected power outage last night prevented me from posting these pictures (certainly not the fact that I don't like to look at myself pregnant!) No really, as much as I loved feeling my boys move inside me, I can't think of a single thing I liked about getting huge, and I mean huge. I gained a whopping 42 pounds with Micah and close to that with Owen. It seemed to start from day one. By 12 weeks I was in maternity clothes and everyone would love to tell me how they didn't gain any weight until 20 weeks, or that "wow I was sure carrying a lot of weight around my hips and thighs." Ugghhhh! Needless to say, I wasn't the first time mommy who was snapping tons of pictures of my belly. I chose to not remember how fast I blew up. Matt did talk me into taking a picture the day or two before I had each boy so that I could have one to remember and, I guess, to show to the entire world. So here goes:

This is Micah. This shot was apparently the only one I would keep because I can't seem to locate any more. Oh, my was I uncomfortable at this point. Micah was stretched out so that his feet were always under my rib cage and his head was way down in my pelvis. I remember wanting to walk to help induce labor, but it was really hard to move much!



Here is little Owen. My belly doesn't look that big to be 40 weeks, but he was nestled way down in my pelvis and he was only 19 inches long. This was actually really good, because besides all the false contractions, those last couple of weeks were much more comfortable than with Micah. The downside (because his head was jammed up down there, he had tortocollis and still has a flat spot on his head where he refused to turn his neck those first couple of weeks. We had to do neck exercises and his neck is fine now-just still working on that head shape. Thankfully, he still has a rather large softspot (unusal for a two year old) so his head is still forming and reshaping. Bit of useless, but still neat information: Both the boys had ridiculously large soft spots covering almost the entire top of their heads. It was a little strange when I would feed them, and it would pulse with their heartbeats and look a little freaky.




Micah loved to kiss my belly and say "Hi baby Owen." He called him baby Owen until he was a year old!

There is Still Time

If you haven't already, consider popping a red envelope in the mail tomorrow. Or even better, just go to this website and you can sign up to have one sent.

No Nap Tuesday

So neither of my boys is taking a nap. It is my fault. I lazed around this morning drinking coffee, reading, straightening my room etc. and neither boy was up before 10. I guess the good news is early to bed! I also think we may be close to being able to let the boys share their room. I can't believe I am saying that. I know they will keep each other up late and wake each other up (no more enjoying those occasional mornings with only one boy). But, that is our plan-to move them in the same room, and I think it will be good in the long run.

Lately, we have embarked on a new season of parenting. My boys are ganging up on me :) They encourage each other to throw blocks down the stairs and cackle as they crash below. I want to blow my top, and unfortunately I have :( I am remembering that they are boys, and it must be so fun to watch those toys fly down and crash against my floor!-- I am still not okay with that game. Micah tells Owen what to say, and Owen is a parrot. So far, this has only been funny things and caused no real harm (except during church service), but I can only imagine what Micah will instruct Owen to do in the near future. Owen has hit the two's in full force. He wants to be independent by trying to do everything by himself. He gets very sad when I forget to let him "help" me, and he gets very frustrated when he just can't get it himself. He is also trying to learn independence from me as well as learning that we are different and that I am the authority. I know this is confusing for him, but it is still hard for me to take it when he is mad at me or when he takes his frustrations out on me for no apparent reason. Hopefully some of his moodiness will subside when his next set of teeth are finally in. I can hope right ;)

On a happier note, we have created a "Morrison Family Dance CD" with some oldies but goodies. I think it is hilarious to see what each boy has chosen as his favorite song. Owen loves "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane and Micah is loving "Two Princes" by the Spin Doctors. I have got to capture some of their most recent dance moves and sing-along attempts to share! Happy Tuesday.

Very Insightful

"The bad news is: Dada has to work today. The good news is:
Jesus died on the cross for my sins!"--Micah Knox Morrison

My Little "Gentleman" Bug

Micah had an Ugly Bug Ball at school on Wednesday to celebrate the close of their bug unit. All the children dressed as their favorite bug (I was pulling for a bumble bee, but he insisted on a lady bug) and the day was full of festivities including a parade and fun bug snacks. Here is a picture I snapped when I picked him up. He had a very fun day (I think it had something to do with the chocolate spiders they had for snack time as he couldn't wait to tell us about them!) He was sure to inform us that "don't worry, they will NOT bite you. They are just a snack, not real spiders!"

Way Back Whendsday

My friend Raechel had this idea over on her blog. I thought it sounded great to relive some memories, and I too find it hard to post with no words. Thanks Raechel for a great new idea! So her goes a couple of cute "way back whens" of the boys.


Micah at 1 month. This is one of our favorite early pictures. Look at those seer sucker shorts and those adorable feet!

Micah at 7 months. I love this one because of his big eyes and pouty mouth.
Owen sleeping at two months. This baby loved to sleep! He looks so peaceful.

This is Owen at three months watching Micah play outside. I posted this one because it is so funny for me to remember Owen this way. This is how he spent month 3-6: laughing in his bumbo! Check out that mohawk!

A Really Great Day

Yesterday was perhaps one of my favorite parenting days. The boys slept in, Matt brought me coffee in bed, we lazed around a bit getting dressed and eating breakfast. Then, while Matt and I were packing up lunch, we watched the boys play together on our back deck. They were squealing in delight and laughing at each other. It was music to our ears. They have only recently, in the past couple of weeks, started initiating play on their own and continuing it. Before, it was always at our prompting and refereeing! Once lunch was packed, we headed to our new favorite park: Burns park in Kingston Springs. It has a great playground, a pond, a walking trail and lots of trails in the woods along the Harpeth River. We all had a blast getting some sun, playing on the playground, running in the soccer fields, eating a picnic lunch, taking a walk, and later a hike. The boys loved exploring and were both sad to leave. I think we will become frequent visitors this Spring though! I thought I would post lots of pictures to try to show you what fun we all had.

Some Meal Ideas

Well, it so happened that last week I was making a quick trip to the grocery while the boys were napping (it was one of Matt's early days). I timed it so that I would just get home in time to make dinner. We were planning on turkey burgers because it felt great outside and we could use the grill. Well, lo and behold, I get to the checkout with my basket full and realize I don't have a wallet. They won't take a credit card over the phone, so I had to leave all my things behind and head home empty handed. Not only was I angry because I wasted precious napping hours getting absolutely nothing accomplished, I also felt overwhelmed at the thought of feeding my family. I really couldn't think of a single thing I had to cook. Matt suggested we go out, but I was bound and determined not to waste our weekend treat on my own forgetfullness. So, I came up with this:

1 box of pasta (doesn't matter what kind, we had the end of 3 different boxes!)
1 can diced tomatoes
frozen peas (I just add these to the pasta water at the very end to dethaw)
chicken tenders from the freezer (ours were the Tyson southern style)

I cooked the pasta, added the peas at the end, tossed in some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and minced garlic, S&P, the tomatoes and plated it up. I cut the tenders up after they baked said amount of time and placed them on top. Then, I gave it some fresh grated parmesan cheese and called it dinner. Owen and Matt ate two bowls, and I must say I think I will add it to our family favorites list!

I stole this next one from Rachael Rae

Sausage, Peppers and Onions Stoup

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds hot or sweet bulk Italian sausage (You can buy turkey or chicken to save some fat)
  
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 to 4 cubanelle peppers, seeded and thinly sliced (I used green bell because I had them already)
  
• 2 medium-large onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 (15-ounce) cans or 1 (28-ounce) can crushed or diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, torn
• 1 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Heat extra-virgin olive oil in deep skillet, add sausage and brown a few minutes then add garlic, peppers, onions and cook until soft, 6 to 7 minutes more.

Deglaze pan with a little vinegar, stir in stock and tomatoes and reduce heat to simmer, cook 5 minutes more then stir in parsley and basil and serve with cheese on top.

I bought a sourdough boule and we dipped it in the soup- delicious!

Hope you have a chance to try some of these easy, family friendly meals. If your kids don't like the looks of peppers and onions, try an immersion blender to puree them into the soup! I also dropped cubes of bread into Owen's soup to soak up the liquid; it made it much easier for him to eat and less messy.