The Mirthful Morgans: 2011

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Christmas Time....

Christmas this year was in our wonderful yellow house in Springfield. I love having Christmas at home....i love doing our own traditions.....relaxing in my pj's all day.....eating what i want......watching whatever movie i want.....and being with my family. The day before my mother and i made some English yummys......mince pies and my favorite, trifle! Mmmm!

Then this year we were able to go back to our old tradition of having the kids wait at the top of the stairs while we torture them with video taping and cameras so we can catch the perfect entrance to seeing the tree. This year, i'm not sure if it was caught on my camera, but the kids when they walked through the doorway into the room where the presents were waiting they all stopped there and i think Eden screamed a little and it was the perfect "i can't believe my eyes" response. I owe it all to my Father in Heaven. He has made this amazing Christmas possible. It's so nice having been where we have been to be able to to truly appreciate all of the wonderful gifts we were able to get for one another.

Just three short Christmases ago, i didn't even have money to put gas in my car......gifts we gave our children we hand-me-down used toys from friends........gifts we gave were made......don't get me wrong there's nothing wrong with any of that and i am so grateful that we were able to pull off what we did and that our children were young enough to be oblivious (they were, i even asked them about it this year and their memories are of a fantastic Christmas), but it surely was nice to be on the other end of it all (the having and giving end) for the first time.

Of course, we always worry more than we need to, our children are always content with less than we think they should be....it's a great skill to have, being content with what you have. But this is what i DO know.....that whether it comes from others or whether it comes from your own bank account, it is ALWAYS ALL from the Lord. It's just about a different mode of acquirement. I am grateful for the journey we have been on so far and i know the adventures are not over yet, but i know what the greatest gift i have been given is to be able to see it for what it is and remember the Lord through it all.

I am grateful that i was able to spend Christmas with my mother. She seemed to be really happy and that is always so nice to see. We are glad to have her with us. She is such a huge blessing to us all. :-) I am grateful also that i was able to talk on Oovoo with my siblings and mother at the same time. It reminded me for a moment of Christmases past when we were all younger and at home, good times. Louise would always wake us up at 4:30am and Jamie would always fall asleep in piles of toys in the floor after all the opening was finished. :-)

Well i suppose those are my deep thoughts for now, lol. ;-) Enjoy the pics. Truly there is nothing better than watching your kids open up their presents, ah, i love it. :-)

Monday, December 12, 2011

Fabulous Ideas #1

So i finally broke down and joined the Pinterest crowd, and i LOVE this idea i found for making your own liquid hand soap. I am all about saving money by doing it yourself and i love the feeling of being more self sufficient too, although i'm not so sure this qualifies, but i am excited about the savings! It's not too hard to make and can make a great gift idea at this time of year. Here's the fabulous idea:

Make Your Own Liquid Hand Soap

Enjoy! :-)

Friday, December 9, 2011

The Christmas Tree is up and Harry Conick is on!

Every year when we decorate we have to do it to Harry. This is a tradition we began many years ago with our first Christmas decorating with my best friend Tamara (then) Robertson, in the (soon to be both of ours) studio apartment in Central City Philly. It makes me go back 12 years ago and the feelings and memories are fantastic. I even caught on video, except that i don't know how to convert it from ancient tapes to DVD's.

Anyway, this year was no different other than we added Mum to the mix. She watched mostly, but i believe we all had a great time. Jack was very adamant that every ornament he likes was actually his (even though they were mostly Immanuel's) and carried the golden peanut M&M CP30 around the whole night. Then we finished it off by watching the Polar Express.

The next evening we were invited to join the Boyles, a new family from church we just met and became friends with, to go to the Grand Ole' Opry Hotel to see the lights. It was a magnificent evening and those atriums are like jungles! So cool and i will definitely have to go back and actually do some shopping next time. It has to be the biggest hotel i've ever seen. So amazing! Thanks. :-)

I love this time of year! :-)

Pre Decorated.....

Everyone's first ornament pick to place on the tree this year....

Mistletoe....

Stain glass ceiling in one of the hotel's lobbies.

Immanuel said the tree branches looked like an exoskeleton of an insect. ;-)

Here is is with Porter. Fast friends!

The girls with Lily. Lily is in Sarah's class at church. Jack says he wants to marry her, go figure! ;-)

All about John & Nicola

Well, John is the extremely handsome red-head, of course, and I'm the little one in front of him! John is a marriage and family therapist and I am a domestic engineer as well as a dental hygienist. We met in June of 2000, were engaged by the very end of September 2000, and were married December 16th 2000. We have four lovely children as you can see below and love life and all that it has brought and taught us! We love to talk, have friends over, cook and eat food, camp, and pretty much do anything as a family.

All About Edy

She is fun-loving and pretty much always wants her way (who doesn't) and 90% of the time it works out well as she's a good girl with righteous desires and is extremely responsible and mature for her age. However that 10% of the time where we actually don't agree on something, she can be a little devil! She is a huge help with Jack as these two are best buds! Jack likewise adores her and she is the only one out of his other siblings that he'll let parent him. Eden is also in the fifth grade and loves to read. She has a passion for horses and all animals really and also loves to cook and bake.

Top 7 Favorite of "The Complete Life's Little Instruction Book"

{Why 7 and not 10...because I haven't found three more I really like the best yet. AND these are in no particular order either.}

1. Remember that life's most treasured moments often come unannounced.
2. Hold puppies, kittens, and babies any time you get the chance.
3. To help your children turn out well, spend twice as much time with them and half as much money.
4. Be happy with what you have while working for what you want.
5. Watch for the big problems. They disguise big opportunities.
6. Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.
7. Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen every day.

The Duty of Mothers...

The duty of the mother is to watch over her children, and give them their early education, for impressions received in infancy are lasting. You know, yourselves, by experience, that the impressions you have received in the dawn of your mortal existence, bear, to this day, with the greatest weight upon your mind. It is the experience of people generally, that what they imbibe from their mothers in infancy, is the most lasting upon the mind through life... Children have all confidence in their mothers; and if mothers would take proper pains, they can instill into the hearts of their children what they please. You will, no doubt, recollect reading, in the Book of Mormon, of two thousand young men, who were brought up to believe that, if they put their whole trust in God, and served Him, no power would overcome them. You also recollect reading of them going out to fight, and so bold were they, and so mighty their faith, that it was impossible for their enemies to slay them. This power and faith they obtained through the teachings of their mothers.

-Brigham Young