My Birthday Dinner and A Couple of Baptisms

In case you don't know, my birthday is August 15th.  Yay, me!  My first cousin and I were born only eight days apart a few years ago and throughout the years, we have celebrated many a birthday together.  This year is no different.  We chose this weekend to basically throw our own party! 

Aren't we a couple of great looking 33-yr-olds?  Stephanie (Aug 7th) and me (Aug 15th)

By the way and while I'm thinking about it, Stephanie does not read my blog!  She doesn't get into the computer very much and when she is computing, it's mostly for work, not leisure.  I told her last night I could say whatever I wanted about her and she'd never know!  So I'll just rub it in that she's the older one.  Ha!

We invited some of our closest friends out to a yummy, upscale Tex-Mex restaurant.  That can only mean one thing: Pomegranate Margarita?  Yes, please!



Dinner was great.  There were about 15 people at the table.  So of "my" guests (we invited people from both our joint and separate circles) included the following:

sweet sister-from-another-mother Kylee, me, and SIL Kristy

My hot date!  This is actually a good picture despite his hating to be photographed!

The Morris kids spent the night with their Mimi and Rocky, so this morning Bobby and I took advantage of being childless by going back-to-school shopping for Rob.  That boy racked up, too!  It was our state's tax-free holiday weekend and to further lure in customers, many stores had additional sales.

This afternoon we attended the baptism of two very special siblings, Madison and Maddox.  Bobby was named their Godfather, so he had to participate in the ceremony. 

You wouldn't know it from Bobby's face, but this is a very happy occasion.

We are Roman Catholic, as is the children's father, Matt.  In the Catholic tradition, babies are usually baptized very young.  Just as all Christians believe, that one baptism is enough to completely forgive a person of original sin.  However, since you are being baptized due to your parents' decision, you also get to participate in a Rite of Holy Confirmation later in life.  That is when you as an "adult" in the church -- though in some parishes this age is around 13 -- confirm and renew your baptismal promises to lead a Christian life.

Madison wasn't baptized as an infant.  Her mom, Sheila, isn't Catholic and she wasn't sure she wanted to do this for Madison.  Over the past four years, and nowt hat there is baby Maddox, Sheila and Matt agreed to baptize their younger children.  Older half-brother Miles was baptized as a baby and I am his proud Godmother.  Here are some images from today's double ceremony:

Maddox Gage

Madison Ann

This was the best I could get the kids to do for a family shot.  After this we went to an early dinner, and now we're at home enjoying a quiet Saturday night.  I hope your weekend is going as well as you have planned.

Five Friday Thoughts...

It's Friday, y'all!  I decided to do a li'l "brain dumping" as some of my bloggy friends call it. 

I bought my 2012 planner on Wednesday.  Yes, I know it's still August, but I am already finding myself needing to write things down for January and February.  The planner I have fallen in love with is a 17-month version running Aug '11 - Dec '12.  Therefore, we are now in the first month of next year's book!  I just love taking a break and going week-by-week writing down birthdays, anniversaries, etc.  The experience is all the more joyful when I'm using a brand new pen...I'm just sayin'...

When I came home yesterday evening I found this (below) hanging on my front door:

I mean, what joy!  The sweetest li'l note and new sharpie highlighters?  I'm still doing my happy dance.  I have mentioned before how involved I am with my local Relay For Life of the American Cancer Society.  If you feel the need to be charitable, there are plenty of options.  In today's world, we do not have to look far at all to count our blessings.  My family's health is at the top of my blessings list.  The Relay For Life event itself is such a moving way to actually see the fruits of your labor.  You see cancer survivors of all ages come together during the opening ceremonies and later a darkened stadium is illuminated by candles in memoriam of cancer victims; it all makes you realize how widespread the disease is.  Cancer needs you.  Cancer needs me.  Cancer will not overcome!  If you want to learn more about Relay For Life, or find a Relay closest to you, please go here.

Seriously, there is no good way to transition to this next topic, but if I'd led with it, I may have lost you by now.  It has been well documented here, here, and here that the Morris family loves to observe nature's inhabitants from the comfort of our own home.  By the way, Goldie the red Betta Fish is still kickin' it after over a year, and Sami our "pet" dove came back this spring / summer for her 2nd season on our porch.  Here is our latest visitor:

Bobby has been calling him a banana spider.  However, in researching for this post, I found out he is actually a golden silk orb-weaver and he could just as likely be a she.  Wanna learn more?  Go here.  Like most rational adults, I want to take this down immediately.  But as (s)he has built a web outside my kitchen window, the Morris kids have really enjoyed its industrious nature and love to watch it make daily repairs to its web.  We even watched it eat a captured bug recently.  Weird?  Probably.

Peeps, Rob's 5th birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I am feeling really nostalgic as to how quickly he is maturing into a wonderful boy rather than a worrisom tot.  Just yesterday afternoon, he was running down the street to his friend Micah's house and I started thinking, "When did he get old enough to (with permission) just take off down the street?" 

Last but not least, see that lady in the yellow shirt?  She's one of my neighbors, Ms. Ruby.  She is the sweetest older lady and I happen to know that she has a full time job, yet still tends to her flower beds.  She told me once she just loves to have pretty flowers at her home. 

Way to go, Ms. Ruby.  Don't you wish the whole street tended to their yards as well as you do?

To take a walk on the wild side, I'm headed over to Kat's place at Living Like The Kings and linking up to her Friday Five series.  Stop by and check out her 5 awesome iPhone photo apps...then just try to restrain yourself from downloading them all!

Coming Soon: "31 Days to a Stronger Marriage and Happier Household"

So this October I am going to link up with The Nester and do a 31-days series.  "Why?" you might ask.  Well, the answer is complicated.  For one reason, I really enjoy my not-so-perfect writing voice and this gives me an opportunity to really write to my heart's content.  Also, as you who read me loyally have long ago realized, I am not a very frequent blogger.  Guffaw.  I think this challenge of having something relevant to say for 31 consequtive days may inspire me to have much more to say much more often. 

I'm not excessively creative.  For the most part, I lovingly borrow ideas from various sources in blog-land.  So my 31 days will not be a how-to on recycling and repurposing the best thrift store treasures.  I will not feature different sewing patterns or different recipes every. single. day -- although I may submit a few.  What do I know how to do well?  The first substantial thing that came to mind was this: I am as good as I know how to be at being Mrs. Morris.  So my feature will be working-titled "31 Days to a Stronger Marriage and Happier Household".

I am not an expert.  B and I still argue sometimes, I am occaisionally faced with parental regret and I still have loads of laundry piled up most of the at times.  But in October, I am going to challenge myself to take being Mrs. Morris to the next level.  That will include better suppers, cleaner clothes, more balanced home budgets, and more frequent bursts of happiness with my spouse.  In writing about it as well, perhaps I can inspire you.

Here's where I need some help from you all.  I have a few topics already coming to mind.  However, do you have one fail-proof bit of advice that you would like to share?  Hit me in the comment section and you may find your advice featured one day in October.

Our Midsummer Night's Dream...or Trip. Whatev...

So first of all, there are a couple of things you should know.  1.) Midsummer is a real event which happens at the end of the day (i.e. midnight after) June 21st which is when we recognize the summer solstice.  In pagan tradition, a little bit of magic and a whole lot of revelry is possible at this time.  2.) If your summer--like most of ours--is primarily controlled by the school calendar, "mid" summer is usually around the middle of June these days...that is if you even have a summer at all once you are through with All-Stars/Travel Ball, etc.

Neither of the aforementioned dates are when we took a trip down to the beach.  So sue me.  I thought it was a catchy blog title.

The Morris family joined the Jones and Stewart families for a long weekend at the beach in sunny Orange Beach, AL.  We had to fight for the sun.  It was trying to evade us.  In fact, the kiddos got cabin fever STAT:

 In fact, you'll notice in most of these pictures there is not a lot of warm light.  Nevertheless, Whit said to CC, "C'mon.  We're going..."

I'm gonna be really honest with you in the spirit of full disclosure.  We grown ups got to having a blast pretty quickly!  Rain?  What rain?

(Oh, by the way, I look like a big, fat cow in a lot of these pictures. I have to be a bridesmaid in about 6 months, so watch me shrink!)

Try to keep up.  There were 6 adults and 5 kids all piled into a 3 bedroom condo.  It was great fun!  Remember me mentioning that li'l bit of midsummer magic?  Magically all the kids got along great.  I can't think of a single spat that had to be controlled!

Caroline and Anna were so cute together!  They sat over on this empty chaise for what seemed like forever.  They played together and looked like a preview of 20-somethings who would be hanging with her bestie!

Then, there were times when the kids would get restless, as kids normally do.  We had our very own Daddy-Daycare!  Mark may have had as much fun--if not more--playing with the kiddos!

He had them all lined up like they were at beach summer camp or something!  Shortly after this, the sun came out, so I'm gonna hush now and let y'all enjoy the scenery:

Night time was a fun time, too! One night we went into Gulf Shores to the Hangout and hang-out we did! 

There is something mid-summery magical about the laughs someone can share with her girlfriends! We were being very silly! 

 

Alas, when the sun really went down, the grownups had a spade tournament and the kids had movie night:

No beach trip would be complete without the requisite trip to the dunes for an attempt at family pictures.  Here are the results of our photo shoot on our way out of town.  They are not as bad as I thought they would be...

And, maybe I'm biased, but I really think my kids are future heartbreakers!  Need more proof?

Well, that's a wrap for this Midsummer Night's Trip.  It took us about 6.5 hours to travel home when it usually only takes 4 hours!  I think everyone in the world was at the Gulf this past weekend. You weren't?  Well, I hope you could enjoy yourselves through this little story!

'Til then, folks, Bye!