Breakfast of Champions

Caroline seems to be getting a little bored with her food regime.  She just seems a little more whiny/fussy at mealtime.  Of course, there is the chance that her teeth are bothering her.  You should see those pearly whites barging down through the gumline.  Whatever the cause, I decided to shake things up a little bit this morning.  I served Caroline her first bit of Cream of Wheat.

Apparently I loved Cream of Wheat as a child. Like, luurrrve, people.  My mom and dad tell the story that I called it "creme de'wheat" and asked for it frequently.  So I was expecting Caroline to enjoy it too.  Yeah, this is going to take some time.  Enjoy the show, folks!

Caroline seems not to like it...in fact, here she is doing her "no no no" head shake below:

However, being the happy baby that she is, here is an adorable video of Caroline TALKING!  She's saying "bite", "hey there", and "bye-bye".  In fact, if you look at her right hand, she kind of waves it a little bit.  Oh, I just love this age/stage she's in right now.

PS: These videos were taken on my iPhone.  It has just occured to me I should have turned the phone sideways so as to shoot in wide screen.  Oh well, maybe next time!

Urban Legend

I could complete this post with one simple statement: "It takes less than you think to make a Gator cry."  Hahaha...I saw this quoted on a sticker perched upon the lapel of many coeds in Tuscaloosa this past Saturday.  This quote pretty much sums up the day, but what's the fun in a one-line sumation?

This weekend marked the first time Alabama played Florida in a regular season game since 2006.  However, it was as much if not more exciting than the last time these two teams met -- last year at the SEC Championship which ended in a Crimson victory 32-13 and in a hospitalized Urban Meyer.

So, with no further ado, let's go to Tuscaloosa!  In case you need reminding, this weekend was a big one for the Morris family.  Happy Anniversary, Bobby!

We drove to the game as a group...so let's get a group shot:

Yep, that's Matt, Josh, Meredith, Bobby, and me!  Roll Tide!

Now, the day started off beautifully.  There was a crisp breeze in the air and the excitement was palpable.  So after parking and visiting with some of Meredith's sweet family, we headed across campus to meet up with Jonathan and Laura.  Did I mention the excitement?  Just look at the "name" of their tailgating spot:

It didn't take long until we started getting our groove on!

 Well, that was fun, but now it's game time.  Here's how our view of the field looked:

I am so relieved the game is going well!

In fact, some people enjoyed the game so much one spectator decided to kick his shoes off, sit back, and relax!  I'm telling you, folks, you just can't make this stuff up!

 Well, this one's a wrap!  G'night, football fans!  I've got a very important song to sing!

"...Hey Gators!  We just beat the hell out of YOU!! Rama Jammer!  Yellowhammer!  Give 'em Hell Alabama!" 

Buon Anniversario! Auguri!

This is a story about a boy who looked quite a lot like Gilligan -- if only for fun.  He dated a girl who -- if only for fun -- once wore a lot of neon clothing.

Okay, pick your jaw up from the floor.  Check yourself for broken ribs; you were laughing really hard.  That's us on our first "official" date...Halloween 2001.

Well, time came and went.  Memories were made.  Then came October 2003.  (Sadly, upon writing this I have no digital copies of our wedding pictures.  Trust me they were gorgeous and are in my album stored away for eternity.)  The boy no longer looked like Gilligan.  He looked like a happy honeymooner.  And the girl had shiny new hardware on her left hand.  Nevermind the fact that she looked slightly like an oompa-loompa in this picture. Geez, sunscreen please!

Yep, we got married October 4, 2003 and honeymooned aboard the Carnival Holiday.  Our little slice of cake there says it all "Happy Honeymoon".

Years passed by.  The man and wife loved each other deeply.  Granted there were times he felt like climbing the walls...

...but they were truly happy.  In fact, they lived happily ever after!  Isn't that always the trite ending to the big fairytale build-up?

Hahaha, okay seriously.  You could say October is kind of a big deal in the Morris household.  We fell in love, married, honeymooned, and now celebrate every October.  On our first anniversary, a new restaurant was opening in town.  Let me digress a bit.

I don't know if it is because of my heritage or because I have working taste buds, but I could eat Italian food daily. Every. Single. Day!

Back to the point.  In the fall of 2004 a new restaurant opened in town.

Johnny Carino's Country Italian.  We decided to celebrate our 1st anniversary there.  We had a fabulous dinner.  We went home and ate freezer-burned year-old wedding cake and had an all-around wonderful night.  So much so, that we decided to go there in October 2005 and in October 2006 while our new baby Rob was about 7 weeks old.  We went in October 2007 and liked it so much that October 2008 we returned.  Unfortunately in October 2009 I was very pregnant with our sweet baby Caroline, so I could not enjoy a celebratory glass of wine.

On Sunday night the Morris family of four decided to celebrate our anniversary together.  Another first.  Ohmigosh we had wonderful food tonight.  Rob's bowl of spaghetti was bigger than his head!

Caroline noshed on crayons, but that's okay because she was so well behaved (for the most-part) that we didn't care so long as she didn't choke.

We had a lovely dinner!  Rob was our post-meal photographer.  It's okay.  You know what Bobby's hair looks like, anyway.

There.  That's better.  Oh and one other thing...I said that October is kind of a big deal in the Morris household.  Well, October is also a big deal for college football teams and college football is, of course, a big deal for the Morrises.  Upon the Saturday return from our honeymoon, we drove straight to Tuscaloosa and watched the Tide beat Southern Miss 17-3.

In keeping with our October tradition, we celebrated our anniversary with a little Alabama Football victory. This time the stakes were higher!  On Saturday October 2nd we watched the Tide beat #7 Florida Gators 31-6!!!  More on that later.  Stay tuned...

So, Buon Anniversario!  That's Italian for Happy Anniversary.  I've been married to the man of my dreams for 7 years and counting.  But for now my garlic-breath self is signing off.

'Til then, bye!~

Caroline is 10 months old!

Weight: (approx) 19 lbs

Length: (approx) 27 1/2"

Sleeping Patterns: You go to bed about 7:30 PM. You have developed a steadfast routine: you like your morning nap which falls usually between 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM.  You also have an afternoon nap.  You will be asleep usually by 2:00 PM, but the length of this nap depends on many factors. You still lose your pappy at night a lot and Mommy goes in to replace it and re-snuggle you up in your blanket. Hmm, how long will this pattern last? But still...you are for the most part such a good sleeper!

Eating Habits: You still like your first-morning bottle. At solid-food time, you eat two stage-2 jars at a time. Dr. McCown has recommended that you eat solids three times a day, but you love your bottle so much that we haven't quite mastered that eating schedule yet.

New Discoveries & Accomplishments: Your two front (top) teeth have broken the surface which explains some horrible diaper duty and very runny nose sessions from the previous few days/weeks.  You are starting to take steps -- one here, two there.  I think you get so excited that you just can't contain it.  Trying to stand you up for more doesn't happen. You will be walking soon, though.  I predict before you are 11 months old!

Places You Love:  We took you to a Hueytown football game this month.  Hyt was playing Pelham, so it was the battle of Mommy's Alma Mater vs Daddy's Alma Mater.  I regret to say that Daddy's team won by a huge margin.  It was past your bedtime, and you have become quite the creature of habit.  However, you loved the game; you loved seeing all the people; most of all, you loved the half-time show.  The bands mesmerized you much in the same manner from when your brother was a baby.  What is it?  The gleam of the blaring brass horns shining in the lights?  Perhaps you love the bright animation from the colorguard's flags.  No matter the attraction, you had so much fun.  I'm so glad you are the latest Morris to have a love of all things "Boys of Fall"!

Special Friends: You do not meet a stranger!  You get along great with Mikayla, Madison, Miles, and brother Rob, all of whom are twice your size.  But you love to crawl after them and see what they are doing!

Current Events: Actor Michael Douglas (one of Mommy's favorites) confirmed he has stage-4 throat cancer.  Prayers go out to him and his family.  Sept 11th marked the 9th anniversary of the 9-11 World Trade Center catastrophe/terrorist attack.  More prayers are needed.

What We Did This Day: Your big 10-month old birthday fell on Friday, October 1st.  We took Rob to school, then went to a smocked-dress sale.  Later we picked Rob up and all played outside.  The weather is so nice right now!  We ate yummy Mexican dinner with Aunt Kristy, Uncle Jason, Josh, Mee-Maw and Grandaddy, but you and Rob ended up spending the night with Rocky and Mimi because Mommy and Daddy are going to watch Alabama play football against Florida tomorrow.  Roll Tide Roll!

"Whatcha Been Up To?"

When running into friends/neighbors/known associates whom you have not seen in a while, you may be asked "Whatcha been up to?"  Well, I am so excited to answer that question, I wanted to share it with all of you!

I signed up to represent Jewels By Park Lane.  You can see their entire line here.  It's a 55-year-old, debt-free company that remains true to its original mission: to provide gorgeous jewelry that includes a mixture of designer-inspired and original designs.  They use real semi-precious stones, fresh-water pearls, Russian CZ's (the best CZs in the industry) and actual Swarovski crystals in their jewelry pieces.  However, due to their stronghold in the industry, they are able to provide their wares at everyday affordable prices.

These pictures are not stock photos.  I took them myself.  Can't you tell from the non-professional quality?  Nevertheless, my intentions were to make the jewelry look like a treasure chest of hidden gems.  If you want to see each individual piece, you can go to the website.  A better idea, however would be to see the jewelry in person...

Park Lane has a new line of fall jewelry in addition to this year's hottest items they have been offering.  I am having a show at my own house tomorrow (Monday) night at 6:30 PM.  There will be a door prize as well as great customer specials.  Whether or not you can attend this show, I also have $150 in hostess rewards to offer any hostess in the month of October!

I know you and I are going to have a great time when you host a party for me.  Whether you keep your truckload of free jewelry for yourself or decide to stock up for Christmas/Hanukkah/Birthday/Mother's Day/Anniversary presents is up to you.  However, you will not believe how much you'll be able to stretch your dollars on priceless quality gems!

Leave your email address in a comment on this posting if you would like to talk with me about booking your own show...