The Blue Plate Special

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2012-02-14T23:52:00.005-05:00

Hello my sweet, faithful followers. If you are reading my blog, thank you! Thanks for sticking it out through rough posts and lack of posts. Thanks for being interested in us. I have started a new blog to talk specifically about meals and trying to eat healthier in ways that are practical. I want to talk about nutrition and share what I know while I'm learning more about food and life. It would mean so much to me if you would follow my new blog.

Check it out here and please follow me. I would love your feedback on ways I can make it better or things you might want to hear about. Thanks so much!

we're back.

2012-02-13T22:22:00.000-05:00

We took our trip to Maryland. The one we've been waiting for to wrap up our house sale up there. It was rough. Selling a house is rough. Traveling for 9 1/2 hours in the car with a very mobile baby is rough. Driving all around the metro DC area with that baby is tough. Cleaning out a dirty, dusty house with a crawling baby is rough. I had to close my eyes and pretend my baby wasn't crawling around on those filthy floors. Needless to say, bath time was extra important. Anyway, I have pictures but not the energy to put them up tonight. We had to cut our trip short due to some doggy issues back on the home front. We didn't get to spend nearly the time with everyone that we wanted to. So for everyone we didn't get to see, we miss you and hate that we didn't get to spend time with you!

the back side.

2012-01-26T21:55:00.002-05:00

I wish I could show you a sweet picture of Jack's face at 8 months, but these really are more accurate to what life with Jack is like these days. My man on the move! And yes, I had to give up and put the sticker on his back.

*I tried really hard to flip these... no luck.

happy 8 months Jack!

2012-01-25T21:48:00.001-05:00

My Dear Jack Baby,

At 8 months you are the most active you've ever been! A couple of weeks ago you started pulling up, and you love it so much that it has made crawling seem dull to you. I think you will walk soon. You crawl so fast these days- mostly using it as a means to get to something better to pull up on but also to explore the world. You spend your days playing, eating, talking, and learning more and more. You have learned to wave bye-bye but you don't use your hand, instead you wave your arm in circles from the elbow up- cutest.thing.ever. You love rice cereal and oatmeal. You used to love green beans but you fight them now. Your favorite thing to do is feed yourself finger foods! You love being a big boy and feeding yourself, and it's so fun to watch. You show us love now, and it melts our hearts every time. You crawl to us and pull yourself up onto our laps or pull on our legs so that we pick you up. You make my day when you do this. You love to go for walks, especially when the dogs are with us. Your doggies always make you laugh! You love your grandparents very much and laugh and smile at them when you see them. You have a great smile and are developing more and more of your personality every day. We love you so much Jack, and love being your parents. Happy 8 months!

All Our Love,
Mom & Dad

new direction.

2012-01-06T20:21:00.001-05:00

This afternoon Jack and I went for a play date. It's so fun to have a baby friend to play with... and a mama friend for me. My heart has been longing for this for awhile. We were in a part of Knoxville that I honestly have never been to before. I definitely live in a West-Knoxville bubble-- a problem and a rant for another post -- but I forget that places like Powell, Karns, Halls, etc. are all a part of Knoxville. Anyway, I had to use my GPS to get home. As I pulled out of her neighborhood I turned on my GPS and hit "GO HOME". I mindlessly followed the GPS, as I so many times have. After awhile the road looked somewhat familiar. When I realized where I was, I was so confused about where I had been and how I had gotten there. I looked over at my GPS to see where it was taking me and why I went this way that seemed to have been wrong. I knew there was a faster, better way to where I wanted to go. I glanced down and saw this:

Notice the arrival time-- 10:27 PM. PM, I thought??? This was at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. I just kept thinking that something was wrong with my GPS, and then it hit me- the GPS was fine, it was me that was the problem. You see, my "GO HOME" was still programmed for our Maryland home. We're going in a new direction now. We have shifted, picked up, and have been living this somewhat unsettled life for two months now. I say unsettled because there are so many unknowns. When will our house sell? When will we move out of our parents' house? Where will we live? Will I get a job? Now, today, and this year of 2012, our family is moving in a new direction. We have a new calling to listen to. I will re-program my mind and my GPS, and we will plant our family here--- whatever that brings for us in 2012.

[And yes, I do realize that this is probably one of the dumbest things I've done.]

warning: gross images ahead.

2012-01-05T22:22:00.002-05:00

Bathtime is a favorite time in this house. It is special Daddy-Jack time, and it is treasured by all three of us! Usually bath time looks like this:

Playful, sweet, toys, Daddy, Jack, fun.

Tonight bath time looked like this:

And that is nothing compared to what already went down the drain. This kid let it ALL go in the tub. Never seen anything like it. We ran around the house trying to find another tub to wash him off in because I had to clean this one. We laughed SO hard! Fun memories.

By the way, I may be slightly crazy for posting this picture. And yes, my mother would be apalled that I put this picture on the internet.

happy birthday!

2012-01-04T23:19:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to my Dad! So thankful for the dad he is and all he has done and does for us. More importantly though, I'm thankful for how he has always loved us more than we could ever know. Happy birthday, Daddy!

breakfast out.

2012-01-03T20:23:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!

We have had an awesome weekend! Tommy was off work yesterday and today so we really enjoyed our extra time together. Yesterday my sister babysat Jack while Tommy and I went on a lunch date and went shopping. It was so fun and a great time for us to reconnect-- we haven't had much alone time since we moved. Thanks Lindsay for loving on Jack and loving us too!

Today we celebrated with breakfast out! It's one of our favorite things to do, and it's definitely a special treat. We went to We're Cooking. Never been there before but my brother is a big fan, and now I see why. Love the hospitality and kindness of the man working there, love the food.

It was 18 degrees this morning...

Apparently in the morning my eyes don't open.

My breakfast-- amazing pancakes!

Tommy's breakfast -- the best french toast in town.

2011.

2011-12-31T21:57:00.000-05:00

As I think about 2011, I think of all that we have seen- sickness, restored health!, birth & new life, joy, good health, answers to prayers, and more love and a much more alive heart than I’ve ever known. So thankful for the year that has passed. Looking forward to year of 2012 and all that God has in store for us this year. May we seek Him, know Him, and dance daily in His grace.

And because I can't help it, here's a video of one of Jack's first times crawling forward. He's a man on the move now! And please don't mind my voice in the background.

melt my heart.

2011-12-29T23:35:00.001-05:00

Christmas.

2011-12-28T22:00:00.000-05:00

What a glorious time celebrating our Savior's birth! It was so wonderful to be around our family. So nice to be here, to live here, and to get to be immersed in time with them. Loved being able to sit back and relax without thinking that we would have to leave in a few days. Again, lovin being back in Knoxville!

Christmas was so sweet having Jack with us this year! He brought more smiles and child-like spirits to the celebration of our Lord. It's a wonderful thing to see grown-ups get down on the floor and play and be so silly. Love that God reminds us to be child-like.

We ate so many delicious meals.

We played and talked and laughed and hugged and kissed Baby Jack again and again and again. Such celebration.

Wishing you all had a beautiful Christmas!

our house.

2011-12-22T22:09:00.000-05:00

I have done many posts in the past about our house, but this one is different. Our house is for sale, as I'm sure any of you reading know, and it's on my mind. We've been through many different emotions since putting the house up. We had the hope of it selling right away -- didn't happen. But we still have hope! We know it will sell in God's perfect timing. We ask for the patience to wait, and we do ask that He brings the perfect family for the house quickly.

Our Christmas tree our first married Christmas. And Little Lady Lou keeping watch out the window.

Our house has its own website. Check it out here, if you feel so inclined.

step one.

2011-12-21T20:23:00.000-05:00

While I'm not boycotting sweets and treats yet-- it isn't even Christmas yet, I'm not the Grinch, I am getting pretty tired of eating so poorly. I know it would be unrealistic for me to say No More Sweets right now, so my step one is to add fiber.

Every good diet needs fiber. One of my college professors loved to say, "fiber is your best friend". Fiber does a lot of good for a lot of body systems. Fiber even helps fight against diabetes. Pretty great if you ask me. I am going to increase my fiber intake to start getting on track with a healthier diet. Lasting changes don't happen over night, and I know that. So I will start with fiber. I know by having a goal of getting more fiber I will automatically increase my intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. I never recommend for anyone to jump-kick their fiber intake overnight-- that'd be rough! Also, I am a huge fan of getting fiber from foods rather than fiber supplements. Fiber from supplements does not have all the same benefits as fiber from food.

That's my step one. Sorry my post is so full of words and no pictures.

those Christmas sweets.

2011-12-15T22:23:00.000-05:00

I'm getting a little nutrition motivation back-- thank goodness! My mind needs it but more importantly my body needs it! I usually tend to avoid the holiday season weight gain and excess sweet consumption problem because of my food allergies. At parties and dinners and get-togethers I avoid desserts because of my no-eating-dessert-out-because-it's-too-risky policy. I am still doing that; however, there has been a lot of baking going on here at mom's house. She is giving such a sweet gift to her employees of homemade goodies, and I have been munching on every thing she has made! Cookies, cookie dough, peppermint bark...

Chocolate chip cookies

Peppermint bark

My body is starting to revolt... need. healthy. food. Still struggling with finding good foods and a good schedule for eating with sweet baby around. Not wanting to gain back all that weight I just lost. I will be working on getting a good basic meal plan together with lots of healthy options, and I will be back to share them!

santa baby.

2011-12-12T22:30:00.002-05:00

This statement has a new meaning for me this year.

I couldn't resist the Santa diapers. If you're changing that many diapers a day, might as well have fun with it, right? Plus he just looks so cute! And yes, I am well-aware that he looks huge in those top pictures. That's my boy! :)

trouble sleeping leads to reflecting.

2011-12-09T19:10:00.001-05:00

Lately I've been having trouble sleeping. Lots of reasons for this... a baby who has trouble sleeping sometimes, a wandering mind, too many questions, and probably a lot less faith than I should have. Last night I was up about 2:30 am, got Jack back to sleep and then could not go back to sleep myself. I definitely had a middle of the night encounter with God -- there's no way I could think so clearly at that time of night on my own. I was reminded to enjoy this season of waiting. I'm so anxious to be on to the next thing, to sell our house, to buy a new one, to see where life has us in 6 months, but last night I was taught an important lesson. Live and enjoy and praise in the waiting. The new will come -- enjoy this "before" time.

So in my new perspective today I thought I'd do a little reflecting on how different our lives are now than they were six months ago, and we NEVER could have imagined this! It is much richer than we could have dreamed up.

Our sweet, sweet Jack with his precious facial expressions from the beginning. Jack at 6 weeks.

July 2011 -- Jack at 6 weeks

September 2011 -- Jack at 3 months and the personality is growing.


Thanksgiving weekend 2011 -- Jack at 6 months and quite a stud in his baby suit.

Tommy and I are so blessed and are so thankful for where we are. Excited to enjoy this time. Excited to be where we are. Excited for the new to come.

taco soup.

2011-12-08T22:49:00.001-05:00

My mother-in-law gave me a great taco soup recipe, and I gave it a try for dinner the other night. It was so easy to make and very filling!

I love how healthy it is, too. Lots of veggies and beans. Low-sodium taco seasoning for less salt. Low-fat cheese and sour cream.

Please excuse my horrible picture but I took this of my half eaten bowl.

the season is upon us.

2011-11-30T15:09:00.001-05:00

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.

Source: etsy.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Source: hilaryishappy.blogspot.com via Lauren on Pinterest

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

the morgans go to colorado.

2011-11-29T23:57:00.001-05:00

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

food and friends.

2011-11-21T21:50:00.001-05:00

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!]

in tennessee life is rich.

2011-11-15T20:37:00.001-05:00

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!

days to go.

2011-11-02T16:16:00.002-04:00

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.

halloween one.

2011-10-31T21:22:00.001-04:00

Halloween #1 for Jack was a hit. One of his nicknames is Jack-O-Lantern, but he was not that this year. He was a preciously adorable cow! So cute! It melts my heart seeing his chubby cheeks in this costume. The pictures of us as a family turned out so bad, but I've got to share the one of all us- including our dressed up pups!

Jack's Nan was in town for Halloween morning.

My precious little cow. So adorable I can't stand it!


Lady is a bunch of grapes and Eli a happy pumpkin.

All bundled up for a chilly first Halloween.

Don't let their faces fool you, they love dressing up.

Family picture Halloween 2011.

what's for dinner.

2011-10-27T09:28:00.000-04:00

We are so fortunate that we don't have to pack up everything in our house right now and move it. It's great! But I am packing away all of the "things" and extras that don't need to be sitting out for months and look bad as our house is for sale. That includes packing up a lot of my kitchen stuff - some of my pots, my crock pot, my toaster, blender, food processor. Although there is plenty I can make without these things, I find myself using that excuse, on top of the whole packing and cleaning thing, to struggle making dinner.

We were given spaghetti to heat up and eat whenever we needed it by a sweet woman who loves my family and has been like our family here. She always knows just how to help us. We had some sweet friends come by a couple of nights ago and bring us chili. The chili was amazing, the visit was so fun, and the gift of dinner for us was awesome. I love to cook and prepare dinner for us, but it seems to be one of the last things I think of these last few weeks here. I am so thankful to have these gifts of meals! And I know Tommy is, too. Tonight, I am actually cooking.

Source: verybestbaking.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Trying this delicious Penne Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes Cream Sauce recipe.

the great move, charlie brown.

2011-10-17T20:30:00.000-04:00

So I didn't quite accomplish my week of "featuring our home projects". In fact, it's been almost a month since I last posted, and ironically we have been working very hard on our home. But not for us. We've been working very hard on it so that we can sell it! Our house goes up on the market on October 27th.

We are selling our house because we are moving!!! We are moving to Tennessee! We are beyond thrilled! This is such a blessing to us to be able to go back to where we're from and be close to our family. We have missed them, and we want Jack to know them. We want him to grow up close to his grandparents, aunts, uncle, and great-grandparents. We have great friends in Knoxville who we want him to know. And we miss East Tennessee. We miss the South, in general, but particularly East Tennessee. And although we wouldn't change it for a minute, our hearts have grown weary living here.

Tonight Tommy and I were talking about how we thought a few years ago that we would move here, spend a bit of time living in DC and doing that thing, and then eventually move away. Very eventually. Life has happened differently, and we are so thankful it has. We never lived in DC [as we quickly learned living in Maryland does not count as living in DC!]. We never did the living in the city thing. We never walked our dogs along the city streets and lived completely dependent on the metro. We bought a house, we got a dog, then another, and we had our sweet baby. Not our plan at all. So much bigger. So much better. During that time, we realized that we were unsettled here. We were determined to be committed to where God had us, so we really tried to focus on our lives here, but continued to hope we would some day go back to the South. This is a great place to live- please don't think I'm just knocking on this area. The traffic and congestion are no good, but this place offers so much, although our most favorite thing has definitely been the people we met here. And that is what makes this a bittersweet thing for us.

We are so excited about our big change in life, but at the same time that we feel joy and excitement, we also feel sadness- it is not easy to leave. We thought if we had the opportunity to go back to TN that we wouldn't even hesitate, but it wasn't like that- it wasn't an easy decision. We LOVE our friends here. People who have become our family. People who have been so good to us and loved us so much and then loved Jack instantly, too! We've been blessed. We want to share that this isn't easy, and we are truly sad to leave here. We're both sad to leave our jobs- we have great jobs here! We're sad to leave people who we have truly come to love. But we do look forward to what is ahead. We are filled with anticipation as we wait to see what will happen.

our kitchen.

2011-09-25T20:20:00.002-04:00

Since it's been 2 years of home-ownership for us now, I thought I would "celebrate" the occasion this week by showing some of the updates we have done to our house.

Let's start with the kitchen.

The kitchen was the first thing we did. We knew that we could not even live in this house with the kitchen the way it was, and you are about to see why. After work and on weekends for a month and a half we would be here every day working on this place. This kitchen was completely DIY and done on the cheap, but we are happy with how it looks. Tommy did almost all of it by himself. I helped with sanding the cabinets and painting them and occasionally as he needed me to help hold something, but he did the bulk of it by himself.

This is the old kitchen.

The kitchen is small so we knew we needed to brighten it up with lighter cabinets. We also knew we needed better countertops, flooring, and appliances.

The old details:
- Tommy brought down the nasty hood over the stove. NASTY. That's all I have to say about that.
- Next he started disassembling the cabinets. Doors off, taking out the old countertops, the sink, etc.
- The 3rd and 4th pictures on the top row show the cabinets and counterspace in more detail. The knobs really weren't so bad, I suppose, but at the time I really hated them. They definitely weren't modern.
- The 5th picture shows how nasty those floors were! It's disgusting to look at that. That was the set up of the old kitchen.
- Bottom row first picture on the left, another view of what the kitchen looked like.
- This was where the refrigerator originally was. We felt the need to put in a dishwasher so we had to move the fridge as this was the only place the dishwasher could go.
- You can see all the different colors this kitchen has been over time. It was built in 1948 after all.
- I'm such a dork. This is me giving a thumbs up as things are going well during our home inspection. This is the other side of the kitchen- where we moved the fridge to. I do wish I had kept that light though. Not in that spot because it hung way too low, but I have several spots where I would have put it.

This is the new kitchen.

The new details:
- Painted the upper cabinets white and the lower blue.
- Dark countertops -- stock countertops from Home Depot, and my amazing husband installed them 100% by himself. He says he'll never do that again. I tell him he did a great job.
- Mounted a microwave above the stove.
- New sink and faucet.
- New dishwasher -- first time this house had ever seen a dishwasher.
- Hung my pots and pans where the fridge used to be to try and conceal that custom fridge-containing cabinetry. I think it works pretty well. At least I'm pleased with it. [Sorry I couldn't clean off the counters before I took that picture. That picture is from 2 years ago and apparently I didn't feel the need to clean up}
- Moved the fridge to the other side of the kitchen to make it feel bigger.
- Painted everything with a nice, crisp, clean coat of white paint.
- New hardware on the cabinets.
- New floors. The floors alone took the hubs about a week and a half to do because there were 4 layers of old flooring he had to pull up. You used to have to step up into the kitchen there was so much old floor piled up. It took him forever, and he lost a lot of blood but he took care of it. And I love our kitchen floors -- hides dirt so well!

One last before and after look:

Thanks for coming along on my kitchen renovation tour. It was a lot of hard work but so worth it. We love our kitchen!

2 years ago today.

2011-09-24T22:11:00.004-04:00

We bought our first house! Two years ago today! It's hard to believe that two years have gone by here in this house. A lot has happened here... too much for me to recap on this late night post [and yes, 9:30 is considered a late night post for me].

Two years ago today, I left work early, picked up Tommy and we drove up to Columbia nervous about what was to come. We sat and met the people we'd been wondering so much about. They weren't happy that we made them take 6 sheds off the property. We also learned they had already taken 6 off before they put the house on the market. Oh, if only that was the worse thing we had learned about this house.

Two years later and we have done a lot. Not nearly what our eyes had thought as we walked through this place before we made an offer. We were very naive; we had no idea that our eyes were way bigger than our abilities, even bigger than our time, and mostly bigger than our bank account. But bit by bit we have made this house our home and continue to do so now. We tweak, we change, we paint, we update, we conceal. We work hard on this place, and it really has been a labor of love. It kept us busy when we were in a new area, far away from family and friends. It kept us warm when it snowed- in fact when there was not one, but three blizzards our first winter here. It's been a good house. It's an old house- it has "character" as the people in the real estate business would say. "It's definitely not a cookie cutter house" people say when they come over. It's our house. But most importantly, no matter what our house is like-- it is our home. It's where Tommy and I have learned to work together. It's where we brought Eli home and where he layed on the same blanket in the same spot in the same room for days. It's where we chased Lady around the house time and time again trying to get whatever the latest item was she snuck off with. It's where our family sleeps when they come to visit us, and while it's not perfect, we're so happy to have them here. It's where we brought our baby boy home when he was discharged from the NICU and realized we had no idea what to do next. It's where we have watched our sweet man sleep each and every night since and where we watch him play and grow all day. It's where we have begun our marriage, our family and our dreams, and it's where we continue to grow. Thankful for a house that has become a home that means so much more for our family.

Our house as we saw it 2 years ago

Our sweet Eli

Destruction - not an uncommon thing to find with these two pups

Good morning kisses

Losing control of the bed

The usual spot for these two

Bringing home baby boy for the first time!

Jack kisses

Jack and Daddy in his room

Our little family

fall food.

2011-09-23T11:08:00.005-04:00

First real fall food of the season made it's appearance in this house last night.

Acorn Squash! And it was delicious. Love the rich vegetables and fruits that are plentiful in fall. Love fall!

via

This recipe is a great one, too. Simple, sweet and delicious. This is a really fun food for kids to help prepare and eat if you're looking for something healthy and delicious for the crew.

santa in september?

2011-09-20T20:13:00.001-04:00

I walked into the dining room the other day to find this.

I thought Christmas was here! You can imagine my disappointment to learn it was not. I was happy to see my husband though. He was working on the leak in our roof that came about after the hurricane and then 5 straight days of rain.

ps - I'm glad it's not Christmas yet because I am so ready to enjoy this fall!

confessions of a dietitian.

2011-09-19T21:43:00.003-04:00

This morning I ran out the door and was running behind. Besides the fact that it was after 830 and I had been up since 4 something, I still didn't have anything together. Typical for me. I used to be really organized and then it slipped, but it's going to have to make a come back if I'm ever going to get anywhere on time with a baby. Anyway... on my way to work I drove through McDonald's to get some coffee. I drink decaf coffee these days because Jack is really sensitive to caffeine-- like he twitches if I even drink a Coke. But my brain is so hooked on coffee that if I drink decaf it still does it for me. I feel more awake just drinking coffee, plus it feeds my coffee habit that started in college. So I had my McDonald's cup of coffee-- oh and while I'm confessing I should also mention that I got breakfast there, too. Here's where the confession comes in-- I had a coffee mug in my car and came up with a plan to pour the coffee in there so no one in my morning meeting would notice that I went to McDonald's. There are several things wrong with this.
1. Apparently I think people are really interested in me. Truth is I highly doubt they are and likely wouldn't have noticed.
2. I am a dietitian and don't want to sit through the morning managers meeting appearing like I condone McDonald's and eat there myself. This was my logic, but the problem is that I clearly did eat there and I was so focused on hiding it I was going to put up a front.
3. Dietitians by no means have perfect diets, but of all of them, I am probably the worst.

I'm really tired so I apologize for this post as it probably doesn't make sense.

in loving memory.

2011-09-10T22:18:00.002-04:00

For my family, we have a special memory and a heavy heart this time of year as we remember our sweet Aunt Betty. September 9th, 2004, she was in a tragic accident and passed away. Seven years later it seems like it's hardly been that long but forever at the same time. We miss her and love her. My heart is heavy for my mom as she misses her only sister, her friend, and her family. I don't have any pictures here of my sweet Aunt but her face will always be in my heart and mind.

In loving memory...

rainy day dinner.

2011-09-08T19:25:00.001-04:00

It started raining on us Saturday while we were in Tennessee, and it has rained almost ALL day every day since. This was day #6 of rain for us. I won't complain though because we have friends in Texas who are worried about losing their homes and every material thing that is precious to them in fires. We have friends and family in states who have not had much or any rain all summer. We are thankful for rain. Wish we could share some with them, but we will embrace the rain while we have it.

This rainy day with colder weather moving in reminds me that fall will soon be here. Fall is my favorite season! It's my favorite for many reasons including the break it provides from summer, the pumpkins, the squash, the apples, the feeling of warmth in our home as the heaters kick on for the first time, the smell of delicious baked goods- particularly of the pumpkin and sweet potato variety, the cold air and all that it brings- including sweaters, boots, and scarves! Oh, how I love fall!

Tonight I made a rainy day dinner of soup because it just seemed right after a week like this. For the first time this season I made potato soup. To accompany it, chicken salad on a bread roll. The perfect rainy day meal. I used skim milk in the soup and limited how much salt I added. I did not use reduced fat cheese because it doesn't melt, and that's just weird. No cream or anything- just the milk and cheese and it was plenty creamy and delicious. Also, since I'm a new mom and don't have lots of time to cook, I used canned already cut new potatoes; they taste good and save me lots of time! For the chicken salad I used low fat mayonnaise and added lots of celery and grapes. If the bread had been whole grain we would have been in business, but it wasn't. Next time...

home again.

2011-09-06T19:52:00.002-04:00

I wrote the title thinking of our trip to Tennessee as being "home again", but then it occurred to me that we are now home. We have arrived back to our home in Maryland after a wonderful vacation in Tennessee. We are filled with mixed emotions. Tennessee is what feels like home to us, but our life right now is in Maryland. Anyway, enough about that.

Our trip was awesome! We had a wonderful time with family, friends, fellowship, food, fun, football, & Boomsday {I can't leave out Boomsday}. It was the break from routine that we needed. It was filled with love from family and friends, and this time it was even richer watching our loved ones love on our sweet Jack. There is nothing better than that! I will have pictures to share from our trip but tonight am just unwinding from the 10 hour car ride in the pouring rain the whole way with a 3 month old. Although in fairness to Jack, he was amazing!

To everyone who visited with us and has loved on us-- thank you! We loved seeing everybody!

august fun.

2011-08-15T20:12:00.002-04:00

August has been such a fun month for us so far! We have enjoyed summer, seen some refreshingly cooler days (in the 80s!), walked a lot, played and strolled outside, had visits from Grandma and Grandpa. We're watching with excitement as my brother goes to college, and I'm reminiscing every day about just how fun freshman year was. We're celebrating a birthday this week of that same little brother who isn't little. Then in a couple of weeks we get to go to our favorite place... Tennessee, for a much needed time of rest and community with our family and friends. So excited for that trip. This has been and will continue to be a great month! So excited for the fun we have ahead and thankful for a great weekend.

small fixes.

2011-08-04T12:09:00.003-04:00

This may not look like much to you, but to me it is amazing. To me this is part of getting more sleep, having more quiet moments at night, and helping my marriage. You might be wondering how a light switch could do all of that. Well, let me tell you.

This is the new light switch in our bathroom. Our old one was big and chunky and looked like this set in our hallway except that there was one switch rather than three.

The problem was that it made the loudest noise when it was flipped on and off. Seriously, ridiculously loud. And many, many nights when Jack was finally asleep Tommy or I would flip it on when we went into the bathroom- just out of habit. And every time Jack would wake up. It's a shame to lose sleep over a light switch, so I got to the point where I would hound Tommy. "DO NOT touch that light switch." "You better brush your teeth now {at 6 pm} if you want to brush them in the light because that light is not going on tonight!" "If you flip that switch and wake our baby, I will come after you in your sleep." I'm a great wife, I know. Very encouraging. But you know how it is with a newborn, right? Please tell me I'm not the only one to ever sound like that.

So Tommy proposed the best solution-- replace the light switch. A trip to Home Depot and five magical minutes later, we were free to flip the light on and off as much as we want. We can see in the bathroom any time, I don't threaten my husband anymore, and Jack doesn't wake up. This light switch might be one of my favorite home improvements. And by the way, I never thought I would write an entire blog post about a light switch.

and the thunder rolls.

2011-08-03T19:57:00.003-04:00

We had a bad storm Monday night. I was all set to cook dinner, too. Honestly, I was. But just before dinner time a huge flash of lightning struck our neighbor's yard, and I saw it strike. It was really scary. Instantly our power went out, thus ending the option of making dinner. So we went out to Chickfila, and I got a the-power's-out-milkshake. It was awesome.

where the strike happened- huge burn mark.

my very first csa.

2011-08-01T16:50:00.006-04:00

If I had to describe it in one word, it would be AWESOME {any How I Met Your Mother fans?}. Serious awesomeness. The people there were so nice! They walked us through and explained what we could get and encouraged me to taste the tomatoes. Little did they know, that was like a dream come true for me. Yes, I am a big dork. I wish I had pictures of us there-- me, Tommy, and Jack in tow, but I'm kind of glad I don't because who knows how weird I would have looked with my goofy I'm-at-a-csa-and-I-love-it grin. Here are some pictures {although bad and don't do the produce justice} of the goods.

Tomato and cucumber went in the wrap below.- so good!

Best corn I've ever had in my life! Until I had this amazingly sweet yellow corn, I thought the best corn was white corn. My world has been rocked.

And without a doubt my favorite take-home of the day. I was popping these things like candy on the way home. Tommy didn't get any, but I so loved the yellow, orange, and red!

We also made it home with a good handful of donut peaches {my first time trying these bad boys}, an onion, some red potatoes. 2 zucchini, and a picklin' cuc as my Mamaw would have said. The plums in the pic were too ripe, which was disappointing. Everything else has been awesome.

I know what we're signing up for in the fall. We missed the late summer share sign up by 2 days. Ahhhh!!!

2 months!

2011-07-25T20:16:00.003-04:00

Dear Jack,

Happy 2 months baby! I cannot believe that we have had the blessing of having you with us for 2 months now! It seems like we've known you forever, yet also that we just brought you home from the NICU yesterday. You are the biggest blessing we've ever known. Your daddy and I love to watch you as you kick, squirm, smile, laugh, eat, and sleep. We've never experienced such joy. Right now at two months you are learning so much. Recently you have spent your days fighting sleep because you are learning and playing so much. You love to play with your daddy. You give him the biggest smiles, and when he has been with you for awhile and I come in you smile so big at me, too. And it melts our hearts. Every time. You love to eat and do it often. In your first month and a half you wanted to be held all the time. Now you like to be more independent. You love to be on your back and kick and "throw punches" as daddy says. You love looking at toys above your head. You have grown so much this month-- every day you are doing something new and exciting. You recognize Lady and Eli's noises, especially their barks. We love every little thing that you do, and we are so thankful to be your parents. Thanks for loving us like you do! We love you, our little Jackaphur!

Love,

Mommy

ten for thursday.

2011-07-21T21:06:00.002-04:00

1. I have the most awesome video of Jack laughing and playing. I must upload it soon to share.

2. My want list is growing long, and I am struggling with this right now as it just keeps getting longer.

3. In connection with my want list, I have several hobbies that I want start. Tommy helped me prioritize them. Still waiting for when I will have time to start. Maybe after I finish my thank you notes and then read a book.

4. We have been so immensely blessed! We are blown away by how many people love us and love Jack! The cards and gifts we have received are wonderful and we are so thankful. On that note, I have been enjoying my boy rather than working on thank you notes. Lately, it's been bothering me that I haven't done them. Please know that I am so thankful and will eventually finish those notes!

5. After I finish my thank you notes I want to read a book. Any suggestions?

6. Right now Jack is sleeping and Lady is sleeping/watching over him. I love our family!

7. I have an obsession. Chickfila. I've avoided it for so long because they fry in peanut oil. Turns out they are very allergy friendly! They still fry their chicken in peanut oil but they train their staff well about cross-contamination. They also have many menu items that are "safe choices", and they now fry their waffle fries in canola oil. Shibby! Also, one of the only places where I can get a milkshake! Their flavors are chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cookies & cream. No nut flavors! Therefore, no cross contamination to worry about. While I was pregnant this discovery was amazing. Especially when I couldn't keep much down besides a milkshake. Now that I'm not pregnant, not so amazing. Sure I need extra calories for nursing but still... not as ok.

8. Wow, I just wrote an entire paragraph on Chickfila. Can you guess what I had for dinner tonight and what's waiting for me in my fridge?

9. Now that Jack is here my awareness of what I eat affecting him is so much more real. While I knew what I ate mattered while I was pregnant, it was hard to fathom how much so. Now that I look at his sweet face everyday I want to eat the best things for him. Oh, and it also probably helps tremendously that I don't throw everything up anymore!

10. I had a great realization this week! My baby boy will only be this little for a very short time but work will always be around. 12 hours is the perfect compromise for me. No more. I'm sharing that decision with some other people very soon.

brownie wednesday.

2011-07-20T19:18:00.004-04:00

Do you ever have those days where you just want/need to eat? I have been hungry all day! I'm thankful for my excuse of nursing my baby that sucks the energy out of me causing me to need to replete frequently; however, today has been above and beyond that normal. (Wow, that was a ridiculous sentence!)

Anyway, I totally believe in emotional eating. I've heard people say it doesn't exist and that we should be able to mind-over-matter anything and not take that bite. I do believe that there are ways to beat the perpetual emotional eating, don't get me wrong, but I also believe that some days you've just gotta EAT!

So I deem today BROWNIE WEDNESDAY. Why? Because I can. Because I left my baby today to go work for 8 hours. Because I didn't get a lunch break. Because I commuted in this Washington DC traffic which shouldn't even be called traffic but should have a more harsh name. Because I love chocolate. And because I don't have any ice cream in my house.

ps - please don't take this as whining. i love my baby, my job, my life but some days, a girls just gotta have some chocolate.

baby days.

2011-07-19T21:44:00.005-04:00

Baby days pass by so quickly! I know everyone tells you this while you're pregnant and when they see you with the little one, but it's hard to understand just how quickly until you're in it. I'm sitting here in the office and I just noticed that my calendar in here is still on May. And I've realized that life has been like a speeding train since May. And in just a few days, Jack will be 2 months and then July will be over. It's been such a quick summer- although I know weather wise it will be summer for much longer.

My boys falling asleep.

And a close-up of my sweet baby boy.

ps - I do have posts of different varieties coming up-- promise! Although I could talk about my little guy all the time.

pps - Thanks to those of you who've been wanting to comment but couldn't. And thanks for letting me know it wasn't working. I'm working on getting it fixed.

things i've learned.

2011-07-13T20:18:00.003-04:00

I've learned so much in the last 7 weeks. By the way, my baby is 7 weeks old today. Wow! Here are just a few of my many lessons learned:

- My baby LOVES country music! Loves it! We discovered this by accent and now listen to it much!

- My diapering skills have improved much.

- Pee goes really really far!

- Car rides can be a very good thing.

- Never underestimate the power of a nice bath. Little man LOVES bath time with his Dad!

- We have an AWESOME baby!

- My puppies make me laugh every day and they love this little boy.

- Netflix is great!

- And finally, leaving baby boy for my first full day of work was really hard but made so much easier by leaving him with an awesome person!

happy one month, Jack!

2011-06-27T18:11:00.002-04:00

Our baby was one month old on Saturday. It's hard to believe and amazing how much he grows and changes each day. He is so much fun!

happy one month to my little man!

ten for thursday.

2011-06-23T18:00:00.003-04:00

1. 10 for Thursday is back after at least a month's break. I've been wonderfully preoccupied :)

2. My husband is awesome and has been a huge help during this time of adjustment.

3. I just drank a bug. Ok, almost drank a bug. It was floating in my apple juice and I realized something was up and spit it back out. Bleh.

4. Jack is staring at me right now from his swing. Love that boy.

5. 2 weeks ago we got Eli a swimming pool. It's one of those little round plastic ones, and he couldn't love it more. He jumps in it, washes his frisbee and tennis balls in it, and convinces his puppy sister to drink out of it like a giant water bowl.

6. My house is a mess. Makes me feel kind of crazy but it will get better.

7. I haven't cooked a meal in a month! It is crazy awesome and probably time for me to jump back into that game.

8. Target pharmacy is the best. I used to be a CVS girl but the one near us here is rough and I've only had bad experiences. On the other hand, Target pharmacy lights up my day.

9. We are kind of big fans of Jimmy Fallon's thank you notes. On a regular basis Tommy and I walk around making up our own Jimmy inspired thank you notes.

10. Netflix is great. And so is going for walks!

peace.

2011-06-23T13:47:00.002-04:00

After 7 straight nights of 945 pm to 1 am inconsolable crying, my baby slept during that time last night and it was glorious! Glorious I tell ya! The good thing about all the crying is that we know his lungs are working well, and I'm very thankful for that.

This tired mommy is off to pick up a prescription as I have mastitis and a fever of 101.

diet... again.

2011-06-21T18:15:00.003-04:00

I'm putting my nutrition knowledge into play in my own life again. Apparently my child is very sensitive to my diet, so I'm eliminating down to a bland diet. It's making me think about my diet a lot more than I want to right now. Oh well, we'll get it figured out, and it's just another way that I can relate to my patients.

This guy looks pretty happy if you ask me. He's so much fun!

reflecting.

2011-06-17T16:57:00.008-04:00

I still don't think I've had the opportunity to process everything that happened with Jack. It was such a whirlwind and we had to handle it and didn't have much time to think about anything. I have had a few {very few} quiet moments to think and am still just amazed at what this little guy has been through. I'm so amazed at God's goodness. Amazed that He healed Jack. Thankful to have Jack. I love him or something :)

I finally uploaded all of our pictures from the hospital. It took me awhile to get them all compiled from the camera, Tommy's phone, and my phone. Here are some from Jack's adventure in the NICU.

Jack's first NICU bed. After he was off of the oxygen hood they moved him out of this bed and into a crib!

The crib--- quite the upgrade!

He was monitored. This is where we sat for hours and hours a day just holding our boy. We spent a lot of time watching that monitor- watching his respiratory rate and his oxygen saturation. One of the greatest feelings was watching the respiratory rate drop day after day from the 120s down to the 30-60 range over the course of a few days.

Changing diapers is really hard with all of these leads! He hated these and they came off a lot because he's a squirmy guy. The line in his umbilical cord was great so he didn't have to get stuck for every blood draw or a new IV. It was hard for me to look at him like this at first but now I love looking back and seeing that he doesn't need ANY of this stuff now!

His bruised little hands from getting sticks before he got his umbilical lines.

His adorable little feet that were attached to more of those monitors he hated.

Once his respiratory rate came down he was allowed to eat. This was his first bottle given to him by Dad. This guy loves to eat!

We spent a lot of time...

playing...

smiling...

laying on the boppy...

and rocking our sweet, sweet little man.

We spent a lot of time in these chairs. That rocker has some Morgan wear and tear on it now!

The day we got to go home. First time in the car seat getting ready for his big trip!

I couldn't be more thankful for the care Jack got. We had the best nurses, nurse practitioners, and neonatalogists. We met some sweet people with their precious little babies living in the NICU, and I learned a lot from my new NICU mom friend {a very sweet lady who always stopped me to check on Jack and see how I was doing even though it was difficult for her because of a language barrier}.

I love spending my days with this sweet baby who is such a blessing to us.

hanging out.

2011-06-11T22:31:00.002-04:00

We've just been hanging out around here. It's the best!

Jack likes to spend his time thinking...

2 weeks.

2011-06-08T20:56:00.003-04:00

My future baseball player. His Dad is pleased that he seems to be favoring his left thumb for sucking... left handed pitcher on our hands?

we're home!

2011-06-07T18:33:00.005-04:00

Jack is home! We are all home together and it is amazing! Thank you so much to everyone and your kind words and sweet thoughts about us. I know there's been a lack of updates on here- thanks for still checking in! We've been a little busy the past few days--- awesome busy!

We brought Jack home on Thursday night. He had to stay an extra day in the NICU; he didn't have any more alarms after the last ones I wrote about but the standard NICU policy is that babies not have alarms for 3-5 days before going home so they were not okay with Jack going home after just 24 hours without alarms. He stayed another day and another night and first thing Thursday morning the nurse practitioner took his leads off and declared him free. Wednesday was so hard after we went there to pick up our baby boy and were told he had to stay. It was a small reminder of how I felt the week before on the day he was born when they took him down to the NICU. It wasn't nearly as bad but it was definitely disappointing. However, we understood and appreciate their thoroughness in making sure he was doing ok. Just easier to say that now than it was on Wednesday. I was so nervous to go in to Nursery A - Jack's room that he shared with 11 other babies - on Thursday morning. I was nervous to see if we would walk in and he would still have all of his leads attached and hear that he would have to stay for more testing, or if we would walk in and see him happy and ready to come home. It was better than I could have imagined! The nurse practitioner was taking his leads off as we walked up to his crib, and she looked up at us and said "He's getting out of here! I'm discharging him today!" It was an awesome moment. Ten hours later we were home with our little guy, and we could not be more thankful.

We cannot believe how much we love Jack. It's amazing. He is so fun and is changing every day. We are really enjoying this time as a family and appreciate so much Jack being home. We are so thankful to have him home and so thankful for his health. He had a great check up with the pediatrician on Friday and passed his first home health nursing visit on Saturday with flying colors. We are just blown away by the progress. Thank you to you all for speaking kind words, praying for us and with us, and showing us love and support. We could never tell you how much it means to us.

baby boy update.

2011-05-31T13:09:00.005-04:00

We are continually thankful every day that Jack looks good! He is a happy boy, and he is a hungry boy! He has been eating well the past couple of days, and we are thankful for that! He has 2 more doses of antibiotics left--- we are counting down the hours! His lungs sound good. His heart sounds good. He is looking good. He is a strong boy. The plan has been for a Wednesday discharge after his last dose of antibiotics. We have one more hurdle to climb before that can happen though. Last night Jack had 2 episodes where he had desat {oxygen desaturation} alarms go off. He dropped to 72 and 78 at two different times while he was sleeping. This hasn't happened since he first got down to the NICU, so we are hopeful that it was just a freak thing and maybe just him trying to kick off his pulse-ox. We are waiting to hear from the nurse practitioner and neonatologist to see if they are still comfortable with sending him home tomorrow.

So please pray for Jack's oxygen levels to stay high. We need them to stay high today and through the night or else Jack will likely have to stay in the NICU longer for more monitoring.

Jack's first bed in the NICU. He has upgraded to a crib.

baby Jack!

2011-05-28T19:02:00.005-04:00

Friday was a pretty good day for Jack in the NICU but still full of several challenges. He was spitting up/throwing up a lot, so his feeding wasn't going very well. He was getting 10 ml of milk every 3 hours and then spit a lot of it back up. His white blood cell count was the same as the day before, but the antibiotics had reached therapeutic levels in his blood and he seemed to be responding well to them. I was discharged so Tommy and I headed home without our little guy. It seemed so wrong to be leaving the hospital without him, but at the same time we know that he is exactly where he needs to be in that NICU.

Today (Saturday):
We are getting into the routine of being NICU parents. We are making trips to see him twice a day. We go in the morning and again in the evening and love every minute that we get to spend with him. It is wonderful to just get to sit and hold him and feed him and change his diaper. He is doing much better with feeding today! He is still spitting up some but it's so much better than yesterday! He seems to be much more willing to eat today and did great with feeds this morning. He is a really sweet and peaceful baby.

We are so so thankful for his recovery. They said that he has turned the corner today and is in the recovery phase of his infection! So thankful for that! Every time we talk with a nurse practitioner or the neonatologist they remind us of how very sick he was. We keep hearing that "he had no lungs" on the day of his birthday because they were completely taken over by pneumonia. On his latest xray they said "he has lungs now!".

We are so thankful for all of you and your prayers. Thank you for thinking of us and praying for Jack and us. We feel so lifted up in prayer and are so thankful for everyone bowing down before the Lord and asking for Jack's healing. It's amazing to see how God has worked. We learned yesterday that after Jack's first xray on Wednesday the neonatology team was expecting him to need a lot of intervention and were preparing for him to go in a bad direction. We cannot thank God enough that Jack turned the other way and is healing!

We think he is the most beautiful guy in the world and cannot get enough of him! Hope you enjoy these pictures, too!

1st family photo!

thanks, praise, & an amazing birthday.

2011-05-26T23:59:00.000-04:00

Awesome awesome day today for little guy Jack, and we know that it is completely God's loving hands healing our boy. First, he is beautiful! And I can say that now as I've been staring at his face tonight with no oxygen hood or nasal cannula covering him. He is maintaining great oxygen saturation without the assistance of any oxygen and has been doing so for several hours. We are praising God for this! Secondly, his breathing has slowed down a good bit. It still peaks at high rates but he has been breathing much slower and appears so much more comfortable breathing! He is improving by the hour, and it is amazing to watch! Each time Tommy would go down to see him today he would come back up with a smile talking about Jack's latest improvement. The biggest surprise of the day came when they said I could feed him. He is hungry, and we are so thankful for that! I have fed him twice now and both times his monitor stayed silent (no alarms going off) which was wonderful.

The neonatologist and nurse practitioner caring for Jack today spent a good bit of time talking with us, and they, too, are blown away by his progress. The neonatologist said Jack is tremendously better than he was last night and that he has made a "miraculous recovery"! She said his xray from yesterday was very scary, and he came to them as one very sick baby. She could not believe that this guy today was the same sick little guy from yesterday. After another xray and blood work, they ruled out Jack having Respiratory Distress Syndrome and have decided that he has pneumonia. He will need a 7 day course of antibiotics, so he will be in the NICU for 7 days. His xray today was improved from yesterday but not clear. We are praying for the infection to go away and his little lungs to continue healing.

We are so thankful for the awesome NICU staff; they are good at what they do and have been so good to us and Jack. We are beyond thankful for each and every step of improvement Jack has made and are really blown away by our little guy today- it's like he is a completely new baby! The baby we knew yesterday is gone, and it turns out our little Jack is not so grumpy but just couldn't breathe. Our guy is peaceful today and that blesses our hearts so much. Also, we are so thankful for you! We cannot even begin to tell you what your prayers, support, calls, messages, and love mean to us! We appreciate every single bit of love and encouragement we have gotten and could never thank you all enough. We have read every comment, text, email, & listened to every message and appreciate every single one of them. We want to thank every person for their kindness, so please know that we are so thankful and appreciate every thought! It truly is the work of God that Jack is so much better today, and we thank Him for you who have bowed before Him on our behalf. God is good and has blessed us so much today with the pure joy of watching Jack heal before our eyes. Thank you for loving us and loving Jack and lifting us up during this time.

We have loud prayers of thanks and praise to God tonight! And we are also specifically praying for:

- the antibiotics to work well against the pneumonia to fully heal Jack
- Jack's respiratory rate to continue to improve and stay in the right range
- successful feeding

thank you for praying with us and for us!

love,

lauren & tommy

please pray for little boy Jack Morgan.

2011-05-25T23:18:00.002-04:00

Today has been a whirlwind of a day. We knew things weren't quite right with Jack since he was born, but it wasn't until 6-7 hours later that it was discovered that he might have a serious problem. Jack was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where he will be staying for the next 7 days. Jack likely has an infection in his lungs that is causing him to have a lot of trouble breathing. Jack's breathing is very rapid! He is currently taking 90-120 breaths per minute when he should be between 30 and 50. He was started on antibiotics today and will likely be on a 7 day course, which means he will be in the NICU for 7 days. Because he is working so hard to breathe it makes his heart rate a little higher, too.

Tommy and I were able to go down and see Jack this evening, and it was heartbreaking. He has wires coming out of him all over his tiny little body. He has an oxygen hood over his head that is providing him with the oxygen he needs, and his arms and legs are restrained. It is crushing to watch him work so hard just to breathe. His tiny little body is fighting so hard with every single breath he takes, and we hate to watch it and not be able to do anything to help. The staff here is wonderful! The neonatologist spent a lot of time with us explaining what was going on with him. She showed us his chest x-rays which she says look very bad. His lungs, which should be completely clear, are filled with either the presence of fluid or an infection. The good news is that she says he is looking 1000% better than he did when they took him to the NICU. We're so happy about that!

So as we go into Jack's first night and he is not with us, we ask that you please pray with us. There is nothing we can do, and we know that. We are seeing that the plans and ideas we had mean nothing, and all we know how to do is bow before the Lord in prayer.

We are specifically praying for:

- Jack's breathing to SLOW down. He's at 90-120 breaths per minute now when he should be around 30-50 breaths per minute.

- Jack cannot eat until his breathing slows down, which is obviously a big deal.

- They will do another chest xray in the morning. We are praying for HUGE improvements on his xray as right now his lungs appear to be totally filled with fluid/infection.

We cannot thank you enough for praying with us! We are desperate to see this boy breathe with ease and not be in so much pain. We are desperate for him to get better. We love you all and appreciate your kind words and loving support.

a gardening project.

2011-05-22T23:57:00.005-04:00

First off, there's a new look here at The BPS. I like the simplicity of it, and we'll see how it goes. What are your thoughts?

Next...

Today was finally Morgan Gardening Day. And by Morgan Gardening Day what I really mean is we got our garden {very small this year} planted. And by we what I really mean is Tommy did the work while I sat in our adirondack chairs "supervising". I did a pretty good job of supervising, if you ask me - I kept the dogs company, I kept Tommy company, I took pictures, and I pointed out where things should go.

So this year because we have many changes in our lives and our family {that would be our little Jack guy} and because we need to make adjustments from last years garden, we have made some changes in our gardening.

We cut the size of our garden in half.
We bought well-established tomato plants {because we started planting late and because I demand good tomatoes and last year we didn't get many big boys to grow from our smaller plants}.
We are sticking with tomatoes and peppers this year- a concentrated effort.
We changed the location of our garden to be closer to the house and in a spot that will definitely get more sun!
Tommy used our raised garden beds from last year but did some reconstruction to make it a higher bed.

the new location

moving dirt from the old to the new

preparing the new location

Tommy's special helper for the day

building the newer version of the raised beds

just putting the screws in...

still working on the screws because the drill died. yes, he is screwing them in with a plain old manual screw driver

moving the bed over to the new spot. and this was my view throughout this endeavor. i didn't even get up to take the picture but in my defense i am 4 days away from my due date.

filled it with good, rich soil

again with our special helper. she's so handy to have around.

what's going in...

and in the ground!

we also filled 2 planters with veggies - one with peppers and the other with a Better Boy plant!

ps- I told you I took pictures :)

chicken ceasar salad.

2011-05-16T14:43:00.002-04:00

Do you ever have those meals that you could eat over and over again? This is one of mine! I made this the other day and it was so good! It just hit the spot and was so quick and easy to make! While the dressing is certainly not healthy the rest of the salad was full of good stuff, so we count this as a good meal.

Steps for chicken ceasar salad:
- Wash and tear lettuce then rinse and use the salad spinner
- Wash grape tomatoes
- Ask wonderful hubby to put chicken on the grill
{I got these thinned chicken breast strips. They were perfect for the salad and cooked in
less than 5 minutes on the grill}
- Combine lettuce, tomatoes, dressing, and parmesan cheese and toss until everything is covered with dressing
- Slice chicken strips & top salad with them

Enjoy!

my list.

2011-05-13T15:50:00.007-04:00

I would say I'm in full-on nesting mode. Full on. Tommy would say whatever you can say that sounds more intense than "full-on" is what I am. He's been amazing and so supportive, but I think I've driven him just about to the end of his rope with my honey-do list. He's ready for me to not be pregnant anymore. I am too.

Here's my list of things to get done before Jack's arrival/this summer {some:

üCdone	Bench in dining room
	Call pest service for our ever increasing stink bug issues
donedone	Clean bathrooms
done	Clean guest bedroom
üdone	Clean kitchen
üdone	Clean living room
üdone	Clean master bedroom
üdone	Clean, organize office
üdone	Finish Jack’s room
üdone	Get together stuff to donate
üdone	Iron
	Mirror above fireplace
ü	Pack away maternity clothes
üdone	Pack away winter clothes
üdone	Photo gallery in living room
	Plant herbs
üdone	Plant spring flowers
	Redo decorations in office
	Re-hang marriage license in bedroom
üdone	Reorganize kitchen
ü	Returns to Target
	Weed flower beds
	Window boxes for side windows
	Work on decorations in guest room
	Work on decorations in hallway downstairs

I've been moving along at a pretty good pace. Some items I haven't checked off my list because they're not completely done but I have tackled and failed. Like the herbs--- I've bought and planted twice and had some failures. Hoping for success this go around. Some things I've been putting off, too. We'll see how much more I get done before Jack arrives.

workin around the house.

2011-05-13T14:19:00.003-04:00

We've been working like crazy around here. It's great! Staying busy and making this place nice and homey for our little Jack guy when he arrives. I have lots to share. We have been very busy and productive; however, I most of the time forgot to take before pictures so the posts won't be that exciting. Just wanted to share that excitement is abounding over here!

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ten for thursday.

2011-05-12T13:06:00.001-04:00

1. I might make cookies today... just to keep you posted :)

2. I love getting to spend extra time with my dogs! I've been home a lot more these last few weeks and have had some extra time to just hang out with them. They're so fun. And sweet and great dogs. I'm obviously biased and sound probably weird going on about my dogs, but it's truth.

3. Our neighbor has a foster dog who she is trying to find a home for. He is so cute and tugs at my heart a little. Don't worry, I didn't lose my mind. Although I did bring him over to play with our 2 pups. It's a pretty good match all around. Just sayin...

4. I think 2 dogs is legit- I mean they need a playmate, right? And it's a perfect situation for our family. I think once we cross the line to 3 dogs, our house officially becomes a zoo.

The 3 getting to know each other monitored by Tommy. I was banished to the other side of the fence after we learned the new guy has no way to stop himself when he gets running full speed.

You can't really see much of Lady and the new guy here but they're having a blast, and so is Eli with his red ball!

5. Me and sleep have not been best buddies lately. So tired...

6. We have an amazing group of youth at church and feel so blessed to get to know them and hang out with them. Had a blast at last night's youth group!

7. Tommy and I like going to Home Depot. I prefer to get out quickly while he could stay for... let's just say awhile, but we actually enjoy going there together. Are we weird?

8. I'm on pace with my pregnancy weight gain-- ya!

9. I found some gift cards hanging out in our house that we had forgotten about. Extra ya!

10. The weather this week has been so beautiful! I have loved spending time sitting outside in it!

the food gets better.

2011-05-12T12:56:00.000-04:00

Around this time of year the food just gets better. Why? The fresh food is back! It's so exciting to have local produce around, see people growing their gardens, and have a surplus of fresh foods at the grocery store again! Probably not all people find this as exciting as I do, but boy does it put a little extra jump in my step. {Side note: there's a new Whole Foods near Tommy's work that is out of this world! It blows all of Whole Foods out of the water and walking in between the fresh flowers and the abundance of fresh produce makes me cry a little inside in the very best of ways!}

I love that for lunch I can heat up a leftover chicken breast, piece of cheese, and throw tomato slices on top for a quick, easy, fresh, and wonderfully delicious meal!

Tommy left this for me for lunch today-- knowing my love of good food & that I slept for 2 hours last night. He's such a good man!

This is how we're spending our days. Just chillin...

ten for thursday. {on a friday}

2011-05-06T12:44:00.002-04:00

1. I forgot to do this until midnight last night, so I'm pretending it counts today. :)

2. I have been on a cleaning frenzy! I love getting things organized!

3. My nursery is looking awesome. Posts to come.

4. Progress on the house posts to come, too.

5. My guilty pleasure is a really expensive haircut. I quickly learned when we moved here how hard it was to find somewhere to get my hair cut. When I found this place and a stylist who makes my hair look shiny and smooth and awesome, I couldn't pass it up. Even though I pay A LOT. Guilty pleasure.

6. Between the 2 of us, we got 5 parking/camera speeding tickets at the same time! We never get tickets, so this was ridiculously weird. And so annoying! By the way, if you run a red light in DC where they have the cameras the ticket is $150. Seriously! I also maintain that I did not run that red light.

7. I had the most beautiful baby shower on Sunday. I'm so thankful for sweet friends who love us so much and all of the work they do!

8. I'm going to go have a piece of cake from said amazing baby shower, right. now.

9. I like the Office. It cracks me up. Watching last night's episode right now.

10. May is a great month! We have birthdays, graduations, oh and of course not to be forgotten-- Baby Jack's arrival!

cupcakes for sweet girls.

2011-05-04T11:42:00.007-04:00

While I was in Tennessee I had the opportunity to make some cupcakes for a bake sale. My sister is a Young Life Capernaum leader, so she does the typical Young Life leader stuff with teens with physical and mental disabilities. She loves it and is very good at it! It's definitely her place in life.

This is my sister, Lindsay.

This is one of her Capernaum girls. They're so sweet, and even though this was the first time I had met this girl she was so loving and cared so much for me, my husband, and our baby.

So the Knoxville Young Life had a rummage sale to raise money and my sister and her girls worked the bake sale. The money they made from the bake sale goes directly to the girls to send them to camp. So I made some cupcakes for the bake sale. I tried my hand at making them pretty, and it so did not work. So this post is more of a "they turned out but sure aren't pretty" kind of post.

I went with chocolate cupcakes and white frosting. The classic combination was so good! And really cupcakes aren't hard to make, but I always forget how long it takes to frost them all.

To me, this is the prettiest picture. I LOVE chocolate!

Here's a plate of somewhat pretty cupcakes.

And here's what I meant by the ugly thing. Don't worry, I didn't take the ones that look like poop on the left side of the picture. Those were the rejects that just had to be eaten by... well, me :)

happy birthday tommy!!!

2011-05-01T20:31:00.002-04:00

My husband is amazing, and yesterday was his birthday! I meant to do a post yesterday but got caught up in making a really bad cake and didn't get around to it.

So happy birthday to my sweet, loving, hard-working, talented, kind-hearted, completely unselfish, and incredibly good looking husband! Tommy, I love you so much and cannot wait to become a parent with you. Happy happy birthday!!!

ten for thursday.

2011-04-28T22:00:00.002-04:00

1. less than one month to go. 'nough said.

2. watching the last episode with Michael Scott on the Office made me kind of sad.

3. it's been really hot this week and while i'm not complaining about beautiful spring, i am super hot! like acting like it's the dead of summer hot.

4. did you know that our house does not have air conditioning? yeah...

5. husband installed the car seat this week. pretty excellent!

6. i had a moment of strong conviction today as i was driving around Rockville. we live in such a unique place where people are so well off & yet at the same time there are homeless people at every red light. i watched a guy dig through an outside McDonald's trash can for food, and it was devastating to watch. scared but interested for opportunities to make a difference in this city.

7. we are a one car family, and i love it!

8. still lovin this breakfast.

9. this house is turned upside down as i'm rearranging pretty much every room in the house. it would be nice if i picked one room and stuck with it. apparently that's not my methodology.

10. i LOVE a freshly made bed with clean sheets, and that is where i am going right NOW!

is it time yet?

2011-04-28T21:54:00.002-04:00

we sure are getting ready for him!

the monday after.

2011-04-25T13:28:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone had a beautiful Easter and a blessed weekend. What a sweet time of celebration! We had a low-key weekend. The high pollen count officially kicked off allergies in the Morgan household. Husband was down for the count on Thursday night and remained pretty down throughout the weekend. It's sad watching him suffer with allergies--- he is pitiful.

We were somewhat productive, too, though squeezing in some outdoor beautification {pictures to come}. We played with puppies a lot. And we got to attend a lovely service at our church yesterday morning to celebrate that Christ is Risen!

I know all of the Easter posts were yesterday, but I'm doing one today. Because today, as just an ordinary day, I find it harder to celebrate. It's a Monday. The weekend is over. The food and celebrating is over. But really, it shouldn't be. Because we are forever changed by Easter and given new life and that is worth celebrating, worth living for, worth remembering every day.

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ten for thursday.

2011-04-21T11:56:00.005-04:00

This is one of those weeks where I'm like "is it Thursday? what day is today??" I'm confused. But it sure enough is Thursday (if I'm wrong someone please let me know, otherwise this is embarrassing) and time for another ten for thursday!

1. I love our house! As I shared earlier this week, I am loving our house. I don't know if it's spring or the pride of working on the home we own but it is particularly lovely to me these days.

2. We have been working on said house A LOT! Wait til you see my posts on Baby's Room!

3. Speaking of baby's room--- I can't wait to meet our little guy, in hopefully a month!

4. Speaking of baby's room--- I'm amazed at how hard hubby has worked on this room taking it from something very, very ugly to a beautiful place for our little guy to live! Thanks Thomas for your amazingly hard work!

5. This week has been nice and Spring-y. Lots of sunshine with a mixture of rain and storms. I love Spring time!

6. I have flowers blooming outside! A dogwood tree that I get to see from my kitchen window. Tulips on the front porch, and some beautiful bushes along the side walk. {Pictures to come}

7. We are eating on a budget. It's a challenge. Enough said.

8. Really excited for Easter this weekend. What a beautiful time to celebrate our new life in Christ and that we are saved by His grace! This year I'm really wanting to go to a sunrise service-- we'll see if that happens.

9. I'm so far behind on emails. If you have emailed me and I haven't replied, please forgive me. I just cannot seem to get caught up. Soon, I hope. At least that's what I keep telling myself, but then I look outside and it's beautiful and I can't sit down at the computer.

10. I love my dogs! They bring us so much joy. This guy smiles---
Seriously, he is one happy dog! I love looking over and seeing him smile at me. It cracks me up every time. And that red ball by him- it is absolutely his favorite! He takes it with him everywhere. And that hole? It's one of about 50 we have in our backyard from these two, but we don't hold them responsible. Apparently our backyard is a pet cemetery. G.R.O.S.S.

my new favorite.

2011-04-20T19:57:00.003-04:00

My new favorite breakfast was discovered today! I love oatmeal but truth is usually when I eat oatmeal I load it with brown sugar! I like it to be sweet and brown sugar in oatmeal is as sweet as it gets. The healthiest option? No. Obviously the oatmeal is good, and it's a great easy breakfast but I don't need that much sugar. Not to mention that soon I will be working on losing a good bit of weight, so I will definitely be looking to cut out the sugar.

The solution to my oatmeal woes...

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal.

Please know that I am aware that I did not invent this breakfast. And I by no means claim that I did. I just simply made it for the first time, it works for me, and I love it!

How to do it:

1. Cut up an apple.
I used a granny smith this morning and it was perfect with its tartness

2. Put apple slices in bowl & sprinkle with cinnamon.

3. Put bowl in microwave.
I'm still not sure exactly how long this should be done for. This morning was 1 minute, 44
seconds (because I NEVER microwave something for a plain old boring number, like 1 1/2
or 2 mins. but that's a post for another day)

4. Prepare oatmeal.
Again for me this involves 1 min., 44 seconds in the microwave

5. Put apples on top of oatmeal, let cool (mine was SO hot!), and enjoy!!!

ps - did I mention how nutritious this is? ohh yeah! fiber, serving of fruit, whole grains. seriously amazing breakfast!

dinner of champions.

2011-04-19T14:41:00.002-04:00

We fired up the grill for the first time this season. Since we've been gone we were starting a little late. Normally, we kick off the grilling season with a big, delicious meal, but this was pretty much just as satisfying to me. I have been loving me some hot dogs & this was great! A little mac and cheese to go with it. Yes, we had the dream dinner of a 5 year old and we loved it.

the return.

2011-04-18T14:38:00.002-04:00

I can't really express what right now is like except that it is a new season. I feel as if it is spring time not only outside but in our lives as well. We are back. We have returned to Maryland, returned to our home, our dogs, our way of life, and are returning to a sense of normalcy. Since January there has been no normalcy in our lives. Tommy was traveling for the last 3 months and while he had some great experiences and it was ultimately good, it was hard for us. In the mean time we were in such a balance of waiting--- waiting for him to come home, waiting for me to feel better, waiting for Baby Jack to arrive. We are 1 1/2 down and 1 1/2 to go. I feel much, much better than I did and think/hope I will feel completely better once Jack-bug arrives.

I'm sitting here on the couch now with my 2 sweet pups taking an afternoon nap next to me, and life is good. Our love our home! I don't know if it's having been away from it and having been away from a sense of "real-life" or if it's the Spring, or if my eyes have been opened but I am so happy to live here in this house. We have a million projects to do/going on, and I will probably be sharing some of them here. I'm also trying to get back into a rhythm of cooking-- I know, a crazy idea! And perhaps I'll even talk about nutrition some (that is why I started this blog, right?)

Thanks for reading. Thanks for sharing in our lives.

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chocolate chip cookie cream wich.

2011-04-05T22:34:00.004-04:00

Nothing like a little mid-week dessert. Actually, I don't think Tuesday counts as mid-week, but it feels really mid-week to me so I'm counting it and made a big dessert to keep on. Also, I wanted to see how many times I could get mid-week into this post.

So today I had a post-dinner "need" for some dessert and because I'm lazy I needed it to be easy. Enter the chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. Simple and easy as can be.

1. Make the cookies
*Well to be truthful, I pretty much skipped this step. I had some cookie dough in the
fridge so I didn't have to do any "making" of cookies.

2. Bake the cookies

3. Allow the cookies to cool
*This goes best if you put the cookies on a cookie rack to cool. It's always helpful to have
air going under the cookies too. My husband informs me that this is a principle of science
and can easily explain to me why. I, however, cannot repeat that explanation to you. I
listen though, I promise :)

4. Scoop ice cream onto one of the cookies and sandwich it
*I choose vanilla but you could be bold and mix it up!

5. Put in freezer to harden a bit
*I got antsy so I only left mine in the freezer for like 30 minutes and it was fine.

6. Top as you like!
*These can be versatile. A straight up ice cream cookie sandwich if you like. Or you can
build it up and make it the works. I went with chocolate syrup and whip cream because
you can't go wrong with either of those.

And... Enjoy!

ps - please forgive my incredible over-simplification of this already super simple dessert. i'm a weird one :)

it's not secret.

2011-04-04T17:41:00.003-04:00

That I love Tennessee! We like where we live fine enough and love the people we have come to know and be friends with in Maryland but there is just something about Tennessee that gets us every time! Being back here, we so appreciate how beautiful it is! Spring time here is just unmatched.

If I knew how to take a decent picture I could better express the beauty, but this picture from my phone will have to do for now.

I'm off to get an Icee... yumm

what do i do when.

2011-04-01T22:40:00.004-04:00

... I come to Tennessee?

I eat of course! I eat lots and lots of food. {*Note: I also really enjoy spending time with my family and friends!} Well, now I'm not eating as much as I usually would due to the pregnancy sickness, but I'm still really enjoying the food I am eating.

And I've been forgetful about taking pictures-- I'm out of the habit.

So far:

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My mom made the most amazing BBQ Chicken that I've ever had! I didn't get a picture of it but it was as delicious as this looks. Also, you'll notice, I like to eat out around here. These are some of my favorite places, and Knoxville has a TON of restaurants!

You can see that I am not going hungry!

Happy Weekend!

ten for thursday.

2011-03-31T23:14:00.004-04:00

I told you I am no good at getting into a routine, especially on this blog. I have missed the last 2 weeks of ten for thursday. My sincere apologies for my lack of remembering and following through.

Here we go with another week:

1. I am in a different state.
2. After some chaos and some really quick actions I have been transplanted from Maryland to stay with my family for awhile.
3. Our neighbors are awesome and are staying with our dogs and watching our house. Normally I don't post things online about us being away but the house is in good hands.
4. I insanely miss my dogs! It might be an obsession but they are precious and I miss them! How could I not miss this sweet face?
5. I'm not quite sure what to do with myself these days.
6. 8 weeks until we get to meet our sweet little boy! Cannot believe it. Cannot wait!
7. My brother made a chocolate cake last night- it is delicious!
8. I'm loving making progress on Jack's nursery! So excited to have his room all ready and waiting for him.
9. I saw snow yesterday-- seriously? Hoping that was the last flurry to cross my path until next winter!
10. I'm sitting here typing this as watch the fluid flow, drop by drop, from the bag, into the tubing, and into my arm. Glad to know it's making life better for Baby Jack!

a productive weekend.

2011-03-28T21:58:00.005-04:00

We've had quite a weekend over here. My amazing husband quickly flew home to be with me Saturday morning at the crack of dawn after I had a bit of a breakdown on Friday. I am now on IV fluids and medicines for my nausea/vomiting. It's helping a lot! I feel a lot better after a few days of this. I also feel a lot better with my husband taking care of me. What I haven't shared here before is that he has been spending a chunk of time away for work, and by a chunk of time, I mean 3 months. It has been rough! Especially with so many challenges throughout this pregnancy. But we are nearing the end of Tommy away and this pregnancy! So excited to meet this guy!

So anyway, with this extra time we had together this weekend we did a lot of IV-ing it up. He hooked up my meds, my fluids, cleaned my IV site, and brought me lots of food and drinks. Such a good man I have! :) We also worked on Baby Jack's room! It is looking so good! Here's a sneak peek picture-- but really it's VERY IN PROGRESS!

And we of course had lots of puppy time!

Look at my talented boy! He fetches the paper.

healthy with a side of ice cream.

2011-03-24T22:37:00.004-04:00

If you were a Registered Dietitian, what would be one of your nightmares?

I think I'm living it. Ok, that's dramatic. No need to be so extreme. But seriously, it's hard. I am in the home stretch-ishness (wow, made that up) of my pregnancy and what has returned? The sickness! I am so sick! I am so nauseous, I randomly throw up, and have generally no appetite. Guess what I particularly don't have an appetite for? Pretty much anything healthy. In the last couple of weeks I every "good and healthy" meal that I have had, or I guess should say attempted, has come back up. I have seriously resorted to eating ice cream as a main staple of my diet now. That probably explains why I don't have much weight loss for all of this vomiting and not eating. Things will get better; I know they will!

In the meantime, I am frustrated. While I am certainly one of the least healthy RDs out there (meaning I seriously value my chocolate) I have really missed eating and living a healthy lifestyle through my diet. Early in my pregnancy I was repulsed by most fresh fruits and vegetables. Seriously repulsed. Around 25 weeks that improved and I spent a few weeks eating salads and enjoying some fruits and vegetables again. Now that is gone, and I'm back to just getting by. On ice cream. I'm excited to move beyond this, and I think getting some good meds in me and some fluids will help. Thank you Dr. for understanding how miserable I feel and doing something to fix it! Ultimately, I want this little guy to be healthy and strong, and then beyond that I am so excited to get back to my old ways of eating :) Healthy with a side of ice cream.

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amazing beef sliders.

2011-03-22T21:23:00.003-04:00

During the last 7 months I have hardly cooked at all. A random meal here or there is the best I've come up with. This has been a rough pregnancy, and I have let cooking go by the wayside. Now that I have some more time on my hands I am excited to get back to cooking! This weekend I kicked it off with an awesome recipe from Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen.

I'm out of practice so I don't have pictures of the process {because I forgot to take them} but the finished picture is awesome enough. This was easy to make, very delicious, and full of incredible flavor! I highly, highly recommend this meal!

All it took was putting the beef in the crockpot and then 8 hours later we used 2 cups of the cooking juices to make a sauce and mixed up the slaw. One bit of advice-- I am not good at shredding stuff, so when I bought a whole cabbage thinking it would be fine for me to shred, I was somewhat mistaken. I'm sure I am just a bit lazy, as it's not that hard to shred cabbage, but for the future I will buy shredded cabbage. I bought shredded carrots and they look nice! My slaw is more liquid than it should be, I think, so next time I will also add more vegetables in. The apples in the slaw made for an amazingly delightful crunch surprise.

I loved the way the beef, sauce, and slaw all tasted together. The texture combinations were perfect! The flavors amazing. This was one of those dishes that was just screaming with flavor and had so much pop to it! Yum!

Our delicious dinner!

Recipe for Shredded Beef Sliders with Carrot Apple Slaw can be found here.

spring.

2011-03-21T17:33:00.003-04:00

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Happy Spring!

happy st. patricks day!

2011-03-17T20:11:00.005-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone and to my Irish family! I'm not at all Irish, but my husband's family is and that is cause for celebration! My father-in-law was the first American-born child in their family. The Irish accents still run thick in Tommy's grandparents, and it just doesn't get any better than that.

This picture is amazing!
This is Tommy's Fafa, and he is as Irish as they come. I adore this picture! We have it framed in our house. I think this is one of those pictures that just tells a story-- his story. My sister-in-law, Molly, took this. She is very skilled with a camera and really captured Fafa here.

And when I look at this picture of Fafa, I see my husband. I think Tommy very much looks like his grandfather.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day I made a little something. Because I need to cut back on the sweets I did not make cupcakes with green frosting like I had originally wanted to. Instead, I gave Irish Soda Bread a shot, and it turned out really good! It was actually really, really easy! Talk about a quick, inexpensive bread. I may just be making this one more often. I did add raisins to this one, but as I was putting them in I couldn't help but think "this would be so good if I was adding chocolate chips" :)

I think I am feeling especially excited about St. Patty's Day this year because I'm carrying an Irish baby :) Granted he's not very Irish, but 25% is pretty decent, right? And he will be carrying a very strong, Irish name. While I may have mentioned his name on this blog before, I don't know if I've done an official name reveal. We are so excited to meet Jack Thomas Morgan in just 2 months and some change! Fafa's {up above the bread} name is Thomas Patrick. My father-in-law is Thomas and my husband is Thomas Patrick. We are proud to keep the Thomas name going! Thomas is also my grandfather's name and is a family name in my family, so this boy is following after some very excellent men!

march madness.

2011-03-16T18:42:00.002-04:00

It's March Madness time people, and you know what that means. Days of watching basketball games, lots of good food, and some friendly wagers.

I will tell you this story... when I was in 9th grade, I came in 3rd in a pool of 50 people. Only 1 other girl in the pool, too! Sure that may have been a long, long time ago, but I take pride in that accomplishment, and to this day consider myself quite the picker. In March Madness brackets, that is.

So am I ready? You betcha!

Oh and Go Vols!

this stuff is bananas.

2011-03-15T22:27:00.003-04:00

And by bananas, I mean AWESOME! I am currently obsessed with this ice cream!

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Like seriously, could eat it all day, obsessed.

And for the record I'm not a vanilla ice cream kind of girl. I'm a chocolate ice cream with extra chocolate type, but this stuff is just that good. So far I have eaten it plain, with chocolate syrup, made a milkshake, and had it with Oreos. Next, and I think more appropriately, I'm going to add some fruit. At least then I won't feel sooo bad about it. Hey, RDs aren't perfect, either :) .

blender blender.

2011-03-14T18:30:00.004-04:00

I really want a blender! We don't have a blender. When we got married we got so much wonderful, amazing stuff for our new home. We got a lot of kitchen stuff, including my all-time favorite, the glorious Kitchen-Aid Mixer. The thing I never thought about was a blender. I guess I didn't really use a blender that much before.

This

This shiny red beauty would go quite nicely in my kitchen! I do believe it perfectly matches my mixer and food processor! However, it's also a pretty penny, so I will probably go with a nice, simple $30-40 one. {If I get one}

What would I do with my blender, you ask?

1. Milkshakes
I know as a Registered Dietitian this should not be my #1 on the list, but this pregnant lady
thing trumps RD thing right now. And pregnancy says "ya for milkshakes!"

2. Smoothies
Yummy yummy yummy I have fruit in my tummy. {Excuse my weirdness} I imagine that
I would make delicious smoothies full of fruit and milk and yogurt. Hooray for calcium!

3. What else could I make with my blender? What do you do with a blender?

The blender picture and information can be found here.

a nursery in progress.

2011-03-10T16:58:00.002-05:00

We are working on our nursery! Finally! It's been a long time coming, and I'd love to only have to put finishing touches on it now & fill it with sweet things, but that's just not our style :) So these pictures are very in progress. Tommy's been working really hard on it!

Sorry the pictures are so small and bad! But here we go...

ten for thursday.

2011-03-10T16:10:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite things when reading blogs is learning more about the people writing them. I like seeing people share more about themselves and open up, and I hope to do that here. So in an attempt to share more, and expand my own thoughts, and get some regularity going on this blog I am introducing ten for thursday. Every Thursday I will try to share a list of 10 random thoughts, things about me, totally useless facts. I do not promise interesting information-- consider this fair warning. So here goes round 1...

1. If we lived in another city {specifically good ol' Knoxville} I know exactly what I would do for a living/my free time/my new hobby.

2. The exactly what I would do is flowers! I know nothing about flowers now but think I would love it and love to learn! Why do I need to live in Knoxville for that? That's where the best is! Lisa Foster is amazing at what she does! She did the flowers in our wedding, and they couldn't have been more beautiful or perfectly what I wanted! Her blog is great, too!

Look at those gorgeous flowers!!!

I love how the orange just pops!

I love this picture with my husband! The flowers are pretty, too :)

3. Today is so rainy. Hasn't stopped all day. My dogs are restless.

4. Speaking of restless, I am on bedrest. Not the dream I always thought it would be.

5. I am getting really really pumped for Baby Jack's arrival!

6. Speaking of his arrival, his nursery is in progress. Pictures tomorrow--- emphasis on the IN PROGRESS part.

7. My house is a disaster. I hate to admit because I wish I had a perfectly kept and beautiful home, but I don't. Especially not now with the bedrest and all.

8. I could really go for some chocolate chip cookies today.

9. My baby likes sweets! Not my fault that I need to eat so many sweets :) It's for the baby :)

10. I'm writing thank you notes today for some sweet gifts I got while in Knoxville. I love writing thank you notes! It's so fun and something I really enjoy.

happy mardi gras!

2011-03-08T18:35:00.003-05:00

This year, and for the first time ever, I am excited for Mardi Gras! I am feeling more in the Mardi Gras spirit this year. In light of my recent bed rest and pure exhaustion, I didn't get anything together for this year, but I'm mentally prepared for next year.

Next year--- King Cake!

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I think the King Cake is the most amazing thing, and I might start implementing the King Cake philosophy for all cakes. Birthday cakes, yes please! Anniversary cake, yes please! Any random cake, again, yes please! What is not fun about finding a baby in your cake? A little disturbing, yes. And you do have to focus on eating so you don't swallow the thing whole, but it's worth it.

Getting the trinket (of course I will always use a little baby) means that you are the King or Queen for the day. Awesome, right? Sometimes that means that you have to host the next party and sometimes that means you are the next one to have a baby. Better make sure you know the rules where you're playing or that could give you more than you're bargaining for!

Happy Mardi Gras!

a fabulous weekend.

2011-03-07T16:58:00.003-05:00

We had an amazing weekend! I cannot even begin to describe how awesome it was to spend the weekend in Tennessee visiting with family and sweet friends! The trip was quick, but it was so fantastic! On Saturday I had the most beautiful shower-- I will post some pictures soon. I only have 2 right now and they're below.

My sister Lindsay (who did an amazing job putting this shower together) with Ms. Linda, our dear family friend.

We're not looking at all, but Tommy and I at the shower.

Mom and I just before we left to come back to Maryland.

Tommy and his mom.

Enjoying our time in TN.

today.

2011-03-03T14:33:00.003-05:00

and yesterday, and tomorrow...

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Spending my days resting in bed. I think I always thought bed rest would be great. Hoping for a trip to TN to still happen!

thankful.

2011-02-28T20:53:00.003-05:00

Because it's Monday, because I have a 4 day work week followed by a 4 day weekend, because I am spending 2 of those days this weekend in Tennessee, and because God has given me a thankful heart, I am thinking of what I am thankful for today.

- Refreshing rain
- Fresh flowers
- The promise of spring
- Our sweet baby growing
- Talking with my husband
- Precious teachings from God during hard times
- Baby clothes
- The trip I get to take this weekend to see family and friends
- Our warm, comfortable home

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the old way

2011-02-27T19:19:00.005-05:00

I was reading this book- the one I posted about in my last post- which was set back in a simpler time. They lived in cabins and rode in wagons and grew all their own food and had to have a cow to have to luxury of milk. And I couldn't help but think just how completely different this way of life was from ours now. Everything is different, and I can't imagine what those people would think if they were to step into our lives today.

So I started thinking, finding myself wanting that. Wanting that simpler life. I want to work hard and know how I've spent my days laboring away. I want to get my hands in the dirt and grow my own food and have cattle and watch my husband take care of our land. This isn't the first time I've felt like this, and it passed before and I'm sure it will pass again. My mom grew up on a farm; her dad was a farmer. My Papaw was a good farmer, and my Mamaw could grow tomatoes like nobody's business! My mom knows what this way of life is like and the hard labor that it takes. I do not. I probably more dream about the good times and not necessarily the true realities of it. My mom inherited quite a bit of land when my Mamaw passed away last summer. Land is so valuable! I can't help but think, what could we do with that land? Could we possibly do it? Could we live that life? I've found myself day dreaming a lot this week. Maybe I should be able to keep a plant alive first...

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my obsessions.

2011-02-25T19:33:00.003-05:00

Besides this amazing man

I'm currently obsessed with

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and...

via

seriously cannot put it down!

Happy Friday!

lessons learned.

2011-02-22T21:34:00.002-05:00

Today was such a grown-up day for me. Lots of chores and duties to do and I learned that I just have to do them. Even though life might be hard right now and I may be struggling but I have to do all of these things anyway. So when I stumbled upon this awesome John Piper article about this very topic I felt like it was written just for me.

Lessons learned today:
- you have to go to work even when it snows and it takes you 2 hours to get there
- even though a 2 hour commute seems like a really big deal to me, no one else really cares that much
- if you sell your SUV with a snow feature, it will snow the very next morning!
- being humbled is a good thing
- i stink at the being humbled process & there is a lot of it going on in my life
- my struggles are not so bad
- the MVA is still really gross
- the bank closes at 5 pm, exactly.
- even when salesmen at the car dealership seem ridiculous, uncaring and cold-hearted, they can care... maybe even if just a little
- dog bones are expensive
- why we don't buy food at CVS
- the importance of checking the date on food before planning it for dinner, looking forward to it, and cooking it!
- my baby has a lot of personality, already. he's such an allstar!

Our little Lady (I miss these days!)

naps

2011-02-17T19:01:00.002-05:00

I love a good nap! Not in the same way that my sister does. She lives off of naps, of course, I should also mention that she has narcolepsy. So that makes a lot of sense. Me on the other hand, I don't nap very often. I don't need to. But I have found that naps are crucial during pregnancy, and I will take them any time I can get them! Last night I came home from work, took a nap, got up fed the dogs dinner and had a piece of cake, and then went back to bed. It was glorious. Productive? No. Except that I felt awesome and finally rested for once in the last 6 months! I think that's good enough to count.

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f & v in the winter

2011-02-16T20:25:00.004-05:00

I don't know about you but for me eating fruits and vegetables in the summer is so easy! Eating fruits and vegetables in the winter is so hard. I feel like I only eat the same vegetables over and over, and they're not fresh and it's not the same. Could I complain a little more? So fact of the matter is I have to think about it more and plan for it more. If I don't want to be eating carrots with my dinner every night then I had better be prepared. I've found that for me the best best is to fix dishes with veggies mixed in. That always works well but even more so in the winter. I generally try to do my weekly meal plan and will try to think of some dishes ahead of time that I can use frozen or canned vegetables in. But if I'm at the store and there are vegetables on sale I always give myself the option to switch things up. And I do! Quite often.

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So what are we having this weekend? (Can you tell I'm excited for the weekend, I'm pretty much already counting it as here! That's because my weekend starts tomorrow evening when I get off of work! I'm off on Friday and it's supposed to be 65 degrees and I'm spending the weekend with my husband and puppies-- couldn't be better!)

- Petros! Petros is a restaurant in my hometown (maybe in other areas in the South, but I'm not sure) that is amazing! We have Petros at football and basketball games. I grew up on Petros, and I couldn't love them more. Now we have Petros night at our house and it's a special night.

I have 2 versions of chili that I make, depending on the circumstances, weekly menu, and my mood. One is a regular ground beef chili with beans and tomato chunks. The other is a vegetable chili, and I replace the meat with tri-colored bell peppers! I love it! This happened by mistake one day last year when I was making chili and after I had already started it, I realized I didn't have beef, but I did have peppers and thought my chili was already messed up so why not try this. It turned out awesome! I love it! The peppers add such good flavor and have such good flavor from the chili! I'm a huge fan!

- And if the beautiful weather holds true, I plan on getting the hubby to fire up the grill! It may be early in the year yet, but if it's in the 60s that screams perfect weather to me!

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So happy Wednesday to you all! May your weekend come quickly!

happy valentines day

2011-02-14T19:57:00.004-05:00

... from the Morgans!

Wishing lots of love and joy to you on this day.

still here.

2011-02-13T13:17:00.003-05:00

We are still here. Eating, sleeping, not sleeping, cleaning, planning, preparing. Please keep reading. We're around.

Isn't this guy adorable? He always reminds me when it's time for dinner. He's also my alarm clock in the morning. Such a dependable guy.

a homecoming to remember

2011-01-30T21:50:00.003-05:00

At first I thought about saying something like "I'm not obsessed with my dogs but these pictures are just really cute." But I can't even pretend. I am obsessed, and if you know me then you know it's true. But there are multiple factors that play into my current extra-obsession with them. 1, Tommy was gone, so I got especially closer with the pups as they were keeping me company. B, they've been extra sweet lately. And 3, a lot of what I love about these pictures and them in our lives is watching Tommy interact with them. He is so awesome with them and perhaps I have strong maternal instincts kicking in but I love watching him play with them and love on them, and it makes me so excited to see him with Baby M soon!

So all of that to say that these pictures that I snapped of Tommy coming home from a long business trip perfectly capture the feeling in our house at this time! And that, I love.

speaking of winter

2011-01-27T21:30:00.003-05:00

Little did I know in my last post about winter that snow would be coming my way! So I don't usually pay that much attention to the weather because well, I just don't. But this past week I was tracking the weathermen tracking this storm! I knew Tommy would be out of town; therefore, making it so much more likely that we would get snow. However, I was reassured by the weathermen (they reassured me personally, you know) that it would be rain. It wasn't rain. But snow. But you know what, it was ok! I didn't mind it. It was beautiful! Huge, big flakes and lots of pretty white stuff on the ground. Snow is really great when it's a manageable amount :)

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winter

2011-01-22T22:33:00.002-05:00

It really feels like winter here. It's cold. It's dark. The sky is that winter color. I don't know how long until spring but I'm hoping it arrives earlier this year. I am in need of spring.

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cravings

2011-01-20T19:50:00.003-05:00

All in all I don't really think I've had too many cravings. I haven't really had something that I have to have so bad! I definitely do crave certain things but it's not that incredibly urgent thing I've so often heard described. The things I have craved though are really no good-- quite unhealthy.

- Hershey's bars
- Salt & Vinegar potato chips
- Clementines (this one's a good one though!)

And I just found this picture and right now I want it soooo bad! So just disregard my entire post. Thank you.

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fajita night

2011-01-18T19:30:00.003-05:00

I love that my husband likes to cook! He is really good at making good food. That sentence really doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it does in my head. There are certain foods that he makes so awesome-- like baking pretty much anything, and things like fajitas. So the other night when we were deciding what to do for dinner and I suggested fajitas I was so pumped when he took it over and made it all. I really do like to cook but lately have had no desire for it. Normally, I will do a weekly menu to plan out our meals but this weekend I hadn't planned anything so it was a bit of clean slate to work with. We accounted for what ingredients we had and went to the store to get what we needed. We spent just over $11 at the store and used probably $3 worth of ingredients at home. So for $14 we had a meal that would easily feed 4 but probably more like 6. And it was so healthy and good!

The main thing that we needed at the store was fresh veggies! We picked up a green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and sweet onion.

Cooked them in olive oil and then added just a bit of fajita seasoning to them and the meat.

Since I didn't do the cooking, I really have no more steps in the process. All I can say is it was delicious and please excuse my pathetic looking pictures.

We did cilantro lime rice-- one of my favorites!!! And yes, that is sour cream oozing out the side. Oozing is a really, really gross word to use when talking about food in general but especially sour cream. Sorry.