11.30.2011

the season is upon us.

We moved to Tennessee two and a half weeks before we left for our first trip with Jack heading across the country to Colorado.  So when we first moved it was kind of a waiting game for this trip.  Now the trip has come and gone and we can finally settle in.  Now we get to settle in and celebrate Christmas!  So excited for all of the joys that this season brings.













I want to give this one a try for Jack Jack.

11.29.2011

the morgans go to colorado.

We did it- we survived our first trip as a family of three!  We had a great time in Colorado.  Beautiful sites.  When we go there I am obsessed the whole time thinking that I cannot believe Tommy grew up there!  It is gorgeous-- and he grew up with those huge mountains in his backyard.  Seriously awesome.

We enjoyed beautiful sites and had some sweet times.  There were several challenging parts to the trip that we had not anticipated.  First off, Jack got sick 2 days before we were leaving.  The day before our trip, which just happened to be the day before Thanksgiving, I took him to the pediatrician who said he had an ear infection.  This is #2 for our sweet boy, and this one was much more nasty than #1.  It made #1 look like a beautiful spring day.  He also had a wicked cold-- like the kind where you can't breathe.  So he got started on antibiotics, and on Thursday morning we hopped on the plane for his first ever flight!  He did awesome-- especially considering his poor ear.  His ear hurt him a lot and he kept pulling on it.  But we made it.  Then he had some rough days and nights with high fevers, lots of crying, nasal suctioning, antibiotics, ibuprofen, ear drops, Vick's baby rub, and temp taking.  My diaper bag was a pharmacy.  Then he stopped peeing, which seriously scared me.  2 1/2 days of almost completely dry diapers, and we were up in the mountains!  Thankfully, his little body started healing and he is much better.  Still struggling to breathe, but much better.

Glad we went.  Love being with friends on their special day.  Happy to be home.  Ready to start celebrating Christmas!


visiting with sister 

the oldest of friends 






man, i love this boy! 

could he look any cuter all bundled up? 

back in his element scraping snow. 


my handsome boys 





Jack's 2nd snow fall on his 6 month birthday 


first plane ride 


first swim 





11.21.2011

food and friends.

I fail at nutrition.  I fail at being a leader in nutrition, I fail at liking nutrition right now, and I fail at caring about nutrition in my life.  It's weird, but it's like I've lost my passion for nutrition.  I started this blog to talk about nutrition, and if you've read my blog for any amount of time then you know I don't do that.  Somewhere along the way I realized I was missing the passion I once had for nutrition.  Not sure if this is a temporary set back or if it's a bigger thing.  I think I will still like nutrition.  I liked my job before we left DC -- nutrition with the elderly.  I definitely like nutrition in terms of disseminating nutrition information to people who need it.  And I most definitely like nutrition in the community - helping those who need food, helping those who don't have access to fresh foods be healthier.  That was easy to find in the DC area... need to find that here.

But for my friends in the DC area please take the time to check out and help out, if you can, this amazing organization!  I had the privilege of working at Food and Friends during my Dietetic Internship, and it was an experience I will not forget.  To me, this is the dream as a community dietitian.  The people working here are amazing and they do so much good in the entire DC-metro area.  So while I may fail at living out nutrition, these people provide it-- every day, every week, and this Thursday they will make sure that all of their clients have a delicious Thanksgiving meal to enjoy.

found here 


[By the way, I have no affiliation with Food & Friends and have not received anything from them for this post.  I am just a really huge fan!]



11.15.2011

in tennessee life is rich.

Nearly two weeks since my last post, and we are settling in here in beautiful East Tennessee.  Tommy is in his second week of training for work, we are unpacked mostly [not too big of a feat considering we only brought clothes and baby things with us], and we are learning a routine here... maybe.  Life is definitely different here, and for many reasons we love it!  I love that I don't have to leave forty-five minutes early to get anywhere.  I love that strangers strike up a conversation anywhere.  I love that as I'm driving around town, I can see the mountains in the distance.  I love it here.  It feels like I am home.

Jack is adjusting well.  Lots of time with family, and it is so sweet.  My camera broke and my smart phone is no more, so I don't have many pictures of our first week and a half here.  I did snap this one of Jack earlier though.

Momma, I love my green beans!  


11.02.2011

days to go.

I don't think I've ever felt such a mix of emotions as I have during this moving process.  It's a great move for us, so we're really excited.  We are so looking forward to this new chapter of our lives as we relocate back to Tennessee.  There is so much anticipation for this and we are eager for it, certainly.  But we are sad.  We will miss our friends here.  We are in "get it done" mode, so we haven't had much time at all to be in the present and process all that is happening, but we want to be.  So if we seem like we are brushing off goodbyes or giving half-hearted sentiments, please know that we are not, we are just overwhelmed.  We have been so touched by the outpouring of love for our family.  We are incredibly thankful for people who have come over to help pack, clean, watch Jack, take garbage to the dump, and even take poison from our house to the hazardous materials dump (that's a story within itself).  We are thankful for friends bringing dinner, snacks, cookies, and sweet youth who make us Christmas cookies because she knows we love them and won't be here at Christmas time.  We are thankful for neighbors who do anything to help us.  We are thankful for those who choose to drive well out of their way to come help us, to be here day after day doing whatever task they can to help.  We could never say enough thanks!  We couldn't properly express how much it truly means!  We are so grateful, and we will so miss our Maryland friends.