Too Cute!

Merry Covenant day!

What a wonderful covenant God made with his Son so that we could reap all the benefits! I am so thankful for Jesus and what He did so that we can be with Him!!

I am thankful for family and fun and home!

I was wondering what you are thankful for and what some of your family traditions are this time of year?

I always make breakfast on Christmas eve morning and then we open our gifts before heading off to spend time with extended family. On Christmas morning we see what Santa left and then we go to family's for gifts and a big lunch! It is fun and exhausting!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Party

I can't believe the school year is 1/2 over already! It has flown by. This week was full of school Christmas parties! It was fun watching Morgan with all her new friends! Here are a few pictures of her party!























































































Claire also had her class party! Here are some pictures!























































Have a Blessed Christmas and a Safe New Year everyone!!

Who let the Dogs out?

Morgan came home from school the other day saying"I'm a bulldog. I'm a bulldog!" Then she proceeded to bark and howl! Too cute!

She's a kindergartener now!

Morgan did great on her first day of Kindergarten. She is really loving it! Mommy is so glad! Her favorite things about school are Breakfast, Lunch, & Recess. Oh and 1:00 time to go home! She is so cute! Here are some pictures from her 1st day! Claire really misses her during the day but I don't know why they fight like cats and dogs when she gets home!

There are no words

Morgan Elise Malone. She is 5. She starts school on Monday. Not 2 day a week pre-school where I can walk upstairs at anytime and see her lovely face, no real school. 5 day a week 5 hour a day, I need a pass from the office to visit, school.

You have to understand where I am coming from, For the past 5 years Morgan and I have been together nonstop. I have spent the past 5 years loving her, fixing milk for her, kissing her boo boo's, teaching her, talking with her. She is my life, shes what I do. She is so much a part of my day that in a way I will be board with out being able to care for her. I guess everything I have done for her has been in preparation for this day. It will be a milestone in my life and hers. The end of an era and the beginning of a new one.

I'm not ready to let go.

On the other hand she is ready...

I am so proud of who she has become. She is smart, funny, compassionate, helpful, and much more.
Morgan will do great in school, she will love it. She is like her Momma in that she is a very social girl.
I can't wait to watch her learn new things, for her to come home and tell me about her day.

Does anyone else know what I mean?

This Monday is going to be bittersweet.

~Let me say that I trust God with her and putting her in school will only stretch that trust I have in Him!~

then and now

We went on our family vacation last week and had a great time! We stayed near Canon City at a place called Sweetwater River Ranch, it was right on the Arkansas river. We fished, swam, tubed, and rode the train in the Royal Gorge. I thought I would post some pictures from our camping trip last August and some from this August so you can see how our family has changed!!

Here are a few more pictures from this years trip:

Camp

On the train!







The view from the train!

I fought with the beast and I WON!

I have a secret to share with you my blog world friends but first let me build up to it!

Do you know someone who is OCD about their microwave? Maybe you are one of them. The kind of person who demands that things are covered when being warmed. The person who freaks if something splatters and immediately wipes it clean. I know plenty of these people but I am NOT one of them. I never cover anything and sometimes my microwave gets so dirty that I am tempted to throw it out and buy a new one rather than clean it. Well my friends if you are like me then salvation from the beast is at hand! I got a tip the other day that works wonders!!!

READY?

Fill a coffee cup with water and steam it in the microwave for 2 minutes, remove cup and wipe clean!!! IT WORKS! I used a paper towel. I had to repeat this step about 3 times to be completely successful but remember I was to the just throw it out point! Maybe I won't have to get to that point again and I too can appear to be OCD about my microwave!

*APPEAR being the key word I'm still not going to cover anything.

I hope this helps you today and in the future when you to must fight the beast!

~BLESSINGS!

Birthday Boy!

Yesterday my Nephew Durand turned 2! Time has really flown by. His birthday means Claire will be 2 in only 4 short months, time to start thinking about her party. Here are a few pictures of sweet Durand...





Spongebob party!
Hanging out @ Grandma & Grandpa's pool!

We love Spongbobby!

Durand (4 months) & Claire (1 day)

Durand 1 day old

This is me with Turner he is 1 month old now!

Baby Turner

Whats new?

Okay first here are the pictures of my birthday gift!!!

Turner Greer Carson born June 22. @ 10:31 pm

8lbs 5 oz and 20 1/4 inches long

He is precious and perfect! I need to take more pictures since he is 3 weeks old today.

A picture of the door hanger I made for him!

Also we put our dogs Ben & Jerry to sleep a couple weeks ago. It was very bittersweet and we had wrestled with doing it for a couple of years. They were 8 years old and didn't like the kids the straw that broke the camels back was Ben nipping at Claire. I get sad every once in a while but for the most part I don't miss them (or the poop in my floor)

Then the 4th of July came and went....

This was that morning.

On the way to the parade @ Lake Tanglewood.

Watching the parade and catching candy!!


Later that night we went to the country and popped fireworks. Morgan loved the roman candles and sparklers.







I guess that catches us up Claire will be 20 months old on the 16th. Summer is going by way to fast and Morgan will start kindergarten soon.

BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!!

I'm getting the best birthday gift ever! My nephew is going to be born today! YIPPIE!
I'll post more later!

Birthday already?

It seems like just yesterday I celebrated my 30th birthday and while that was the milestone 31 seems a bit harder to swallow. When I turned 30 I declared that "my 30's would be even better than my 20's" and my 20's were great. So today (the day before my birthday) I have done a lot of thinking about my 20's and the things that I have done with the 1st year of my 30's to make this decade better.


In my 20's I:


~Got married

~Bought my first home

~Had Morgan


~Bought my 2nd home

~Had Claire


Those were the high points.




There are a few big things I accomplished this year.

~ I lost 20 lbs

~ I went back to school

~I watched Morgan graduate from pre~k


I think those are a good start. I have a few goals for my 30's and they are:

~Finish school and become a nurse

~Build or buy a new home

~Adopt a little boy

I don't know what the future holds for me but one thing I do know is God is in control of my life and I know he has great things in store for me!!

We celebrated my birthday early because my sister was due on the 19th and she thinks her doctor might induce her tomorrow (22nd) on my actual birthday. It would be very cool if he were born on my birthday or the day after (the 23rd is our grandma's birthday)
Here is a picture of me all dolled up for dinner!

And of course no blog would be complete with out a few pictures of my kiddo's. These are some from the zoo a few days ago.

This is one of Caleb and the girls Happy Fathers day Baby!