Photo Shoot

I thought Morgan looked so cute yesterday that I had to take a picture. He looks just like Aaron here.
But one just wasn't enough.

I know his face looks messy, but I don't know why! I cleaned it spic and span before taking pictures.

He really started getting into the whole photo shoot thing and started striking poses.

Then he threw out a gang sign. What? Don't know where that came from.

The pouty look.

Check out those knees and legs. His poor dry skin.

A fat prejudice?

Morgan put on some oven mitts and said, "Look, I'm just like Mommy!"

Aaron was teasing Morgan, insisting that he does like corn. Morgan's response: "I don't like corn, I just swallow it."

When talking to Morgan about the cars he saw at the racetrack a while ago, we asked him why he didn't want to see the loud ones again. He was denying that he didn't like them, so had to come up with a different reason. It was this: "Because...they're fat!"

Carnival Valor

That is the name of the cruise ship that will take us to the Caribbean next month. Can I say I'm excited? A Caribbean cruise has forever been my dream vacation, and now we're doing it! But I just keep thinking that it's too good to be true; something will get in the way and make it so we can't go.
It's a 7 day cruise leaving from Miami. Our first stop is going to be Grand Cayman. We have gone through and done some preliminary excursion choosing. In Grand Cayman we plan on doing the Ray Runner Stingray City Snorkel Tour.
In which we will

• Take command of your own inflatable boat and speed out to world famous Stingray City.
• Swim with these wondrous creatures of the sea.
• Reboard your boat for the short trip to Coral Gardens for snorkeling.
• See Grand Cayman’s underwater world as you explore this colorful coral reef.
• Possibly catch sight of a green sea turtle.
• Pilot your boat back from Coral Gardens to the dock.
• Board a bus for the return trip to Georgetown for shopping or your ship.

Our next stop is Isla Roatan, which is an island off of Honduras. I think it's owned by them too. Here we will

• Drive along the north road of the island to the park.
• Discover many things that will spark your curiosity and appreciation for the outdoors.
• Listen to the tranquil sounds of the waterfall as you stroll through the nature trails with your guide.
• Cross the rope bridge over the pond. Watch the colors of the Caribbean come alive as you interact with the parrots and macaws in the bird sanctuary.
• Hold and play with spider monkeys, white face monkeys, and a howler monkey in the Monkey Refuge.
• Explore the history of the pirates at Coxen’s Cave. Roam through the botanical gardens where you will discover the indigenous plants of this region.
• Plunge into the pristine waters of the Caribbean or relax under the canopy of the trees.
• Head back to the pier along the coastal road.

Next is Belize. We think we'll do a Land Rover and Cave Expedition.

• Take a 45-minute ride to the “Landing”, the base camp for your expedition.
• Participate in a short orientation before your expedition begins.
• Set out in convoy formation and head along the highway.
• Experience the Jungle’s natural beauty as you make your way from the Tourism Village into the heart of the rainforest.
• Ride over some of the most challenging terrain imaginable in the jungle around Gracie Rock.
• Arrive at base camp where local guides will lead you in small groups over a foot suspension bridge.
• Reach the first cave that tunnels through the mountain and emerge into a hidden cirque.
• Be outfitted with a safety helmet and headlamp before your guides lead you through the caves.
• Be entertained with various stories along the way.
• Return to the camp and swim in the river or simply relax as you enjoy some light refreshments.
• Take an open-air 4x4 jungle truck back to the Tourism Village in Belize City.

Then the last stop will be at Cozumel Mexico. We definitely wanted to see some ruins on this trip, and Cozumel seemed to have the best ones. So we're going to go to the Mayan Ruins of Tulum.
So, yeah. We're excited.

My cousin and family have offered to take Morgan for us. They have two little boys around his age to play with. We are very grateful to them. And Morgan is stoked too. He keeps talking about going to play with the boys. He might ask, "it's getting closer Mommy?" He can't wait for us to leave him for over a week. I know I'll miss him though.

The Flood

Three days or so ago we were enjoying a quiet evening at home. I had dinner in the oven and was in and out of the kitchen preparing for that while Aaron was taking care of some business. :) When I wasn't in the kitchen I was wathing America's Funniest Video's with Morgan in the living room. I vaguely noted the sound of water and assumed it was the dishwasher, which was running.
It wasn't.
Aaron came out of our bedroom and splashed his way down the hall, which was under and inch of water. Uh-oh. I kick myself for not paying better attention.
I can't actually see the water in the picture, but maybe you can. Anyway, It completely covered the hall, the bathroom, Morgan's bedroom, and our spare bedroom. Our spare is doubling as an office for Aaron for when he works from home. Also, it was crammed full of boxes and other miscellanous items that have no other home. The picture was taken after we removed about 5-6 big boxes.
When I say completely covered, I mean the whole room. This wood floor would easily warp when wet, so we had to get it taken care of stat. There was no way we had enough towels to soak it all up, so we called maintenance. It's after hours, so it took awhile to get a hold of somebody, but eventually they sent out a guy with a wet vac. Then we cleaned up for 2 1/2 hours.
Morgan likes to read at nap time, and when he takes a book out of his book shelf, do you think he puts it back? Of course not. It goes on the floor. And since I'm not a very good housekeeper, they usually stay there for a few days before we clean them up. Morgan had many books piled up on the floor, and many of them were damaged quite a bit.
These are the ones that are worst off. And, of course, they would have to be some of our very favorites.

Actually, Little Mouse's Rescue is probably my least favorite of all Morgan's books, so that's not a big loss.

So, what caused this flood? That remains undetermined. We know the toilet in the hallway bathroom was the culprit, but we don't know why. This toilet is retarded though, it will run forever and ever if you don't adjust the handle just right after flushing. It's been like that since we moved in though and has never flooded. Morgan has never really played in the toilet like many toddlers do. As far as I know, he's never flushed anything that wasn't supposed to be flushed.
Oh, and after the water in the toilet went down, it started working just fine. Aaron did some precautionary plunging and that may have helped. Who knows?

Last night, two days after the incident, I used that bathroom. I flushed, and the water went up instead of down. Since when does pee clog a toilet?! Luckily I caught it immediately and we were able to stop it before any water left the bathroom. But still! I guess we'll have to call a plumber.

Bragging time

I tend to think that Morgan's intelligence and abilities are beyond average. Here is one of the reasons why.

While at church on Sunday I gave Morgan an old bulletin and a pen to entertain him. When that stopped working I wrote his name in unconnected lines so he could trace it. When he finished doing that he started trying to write his name all on his own. So then, to make it easier for him, I wrote his name, one letter in a box, then made coordinating boxes for him. Then I turned him loose. The result...

= amazing and genius.

Picnic in the Mountains?

Saturday was supposed to be a beautiful day, and I thought it would be fun to do something fun. We decided we'd go up the mountain canyon in Tooele, find a nice little spot to build a fire and make some hamburgers. So, we packed all the food we'd need and some jackets and everything , then headed for Tooele. Morgan was excited about going to the mountains.
We got to the mouth of the canyon and there was a big gate blocking the road. We had to turn around. Bummer. Morgan was not happy and had to keep clarifying, "the mountain is closed?" So we tried to think of a plan B.
Aaron wanted to go see the salt flats. And, he reasoned, they are only a little further down the I-80 than the Dugway turnoff. So off we went. And went. And went. Then Aaron checked his phone for a map. It appeared that the salt flats were much closer to the Nevada border than we thought. So we turned around. Heading back toward Dugway on Skull Valley we made a stop at a big ol' rock.
We got out of the car and were greeted by some cool wind and the smell of dog poop. In reality it was probably smells from a dairy near by.
Morgan had to use the bathroom pretty bad, so he had his first experience peeing outside. Actually, it was his first time standing up to go to the bathroom. Aaron tried to coach him.
Then we walked around the big rock on narrow trails with steep slopes on either side. Morgan was nervous for a lot of it.

We were sitting on a big rock shelf, plenty of room, but Morgan was still holding on to me for dear life.

After this little adventure we took another one. In an attempt to drive up to the old Lake Boneville water line, we drove off the main road onto a rough dirt road. Morgan kept complaining and campaigning that we go back on the clear road. Anyway, we eventually got to rougher road that didn't look like it was going anywhere so we turned around. However we had to stop before getting to the highway so Morgan could empty his bladder again.

We made one more stop on the way home at a Spring. There was water, which Morgan could throw rocks into, which made him happy.

The wind had died down, (or maybe it was only a problem when we were up high on a rock) and the weather was wonderful. We walked down the boardwalk and spotted some lizards and huge ants, and Morgan wore himself out running back and forth from the parking lot to the pond to gather rocks and then throw them in the water. His rocks were gifts to the fishes, or so he thought.


After this stop we went home where I cooked up some hamburgers for dinner on a griddle.

The Hired Help

Spring seems to have finally arrived, and with it, a hoard of dandelions. I decided to put Morgan to some good use and have him do something about them. So, he got his dump truck and wheeled it around the front yard picking the dandelions and putting them in his truck.

I thought it would be fun for him and a good way to control the multitude of weeds in our yard.

But soon he got tired of the chore. He had gathered a lot already. So, we counted them up. Before we started I told him that he would get one penny for every dandelion he picked. I almost decided on a nickle per flower, and I'm glad I didn't! This boy picked a lot of dandelions.

I had them in piles of 20. There ended up being 101 dandelions, and there were still a ton of them left in the yard!

Just because he's cute...

I made good on my promise. I gave Morgan four quarters and one penny. Then we headed to the Commissary so Morgan could pick a treat. He chose a package of Airheads.

He put his candy on the conveyor belt, then gave the cashier three quarters and put the 3 pennies change in his pocket with the rest of his money. Then we headed to the library. At the library they have one of those little candy machines. A quarter for a handful of skittles or something. For the past year Morgan has been eying it and coveting the candy inside, and for a year the candy has slowly depleted. When we finished in the library Morgan decided to use his last quarter. Unfortunately, the only thing left in it was Good and Plenty's. I tried to convince Morgan that he might not like them, but to no avail. He operated the machine like an expert and collected his very old candies. After eating one, he decided that he didn't want anymore.

But he did like his airheads. He thought it was hilarious when the blue raspberry airhead turned his tongue and lips blue.

Even with Morgan's help, the dandelion population in our yard has exploded. If we paid Morgan to pick them all we'd probably go bankrupt. Oh well.

Oh yeah, when we first went outside, Morgan was just fine. By the time he finished picking the weeds he had a major runny nose and a frog in his throat. It seems like allergies are one of the only traits Morgan inherited from me.
Try explaining to a three year old what you really mean when you say, "you have a frog in your throat." Kids. They take things so literally! :)

Vacuuming Help

When Morgan was very young, he loved the vacuum. He would crawl around the floor trying to catch me and the vacuum. His interest diminished some as he aged. But still he always wanted a turn to push the vacuum around a little. Lately, he has been very cautious of the vacuum. However, when I showed him how to hose up crumbs and stuff, he put his fears aside and took over my job with gusto. He did pretty good too! However, I still had to go back and get all the stuff he missed.

I love that Morgan loves to help me though.

Bubble Bath

I thought I'd post a couple pictures of Morgan's first ever bubble bath. He was a fan. It wasn't his last.

Off to the races!

The other day in the car, just out of the blue, Morgan said, "The racetrack is my life!" And that pretty much sums up our boy. He loves cars and racing and everything in between. He has way too many toy cars, and loves them all and gives them lots of playing time. He loves watching Cars or any other movie that features an automobile.
For this reason, when Aaron saw that there was going to be a somewhat cheap race at the racetracks in Grantsville, he made plans to attend with Morgan.
The racers were rich guys who own Ferrari's. It's kind of funny, really. A wealthy man buys a Ferrari, then turns it over to the race people to take care of it and transport it and repair it and wash it, you know, the works. Then, when it's time for a race, the rich man flies out to wherever the race is held, drives his fancy car around the track, turns the car over to the car people again, and flies home.
So, the race was $11 for adults and free for three year olds. I stayed home and let the boys have some quality time together, also having the idea that the money we weren't spending on my ticket could go toward a souvenir or something for Morgan.
But I sent Aaron with the camera with instructions to take lots of pictures. He did a good job.

I assume this is Morgan walking toward the race, all excited to see the cars.

They found a nice close spot in the grass to watch the race.

But then they decided to move up higher in the bleachers to see more of the track.

When one race ended they had time to look at the Ferrari's that raced as well as at a cool car museum. And I think Ferrari's for sale.


Here's Morgan with the winning Ferrari.

Here he is with a different one that raced.

After looking at the cars, they went back to the bleachers to watch a second round of races. There was something different about the Ferrari's in this race. I don't know exactly what, but it made them LOUD. Apparently Morgan wasn't at all interested in watching the loud cars. He sat huddled with his hat pulled over his face and his ears covered.

A man saw Morgan's discomfort and gave him some ear plugs, (which Morgan excitedly showed me when he got home) but that wasn't good enough. Morgan just wasn't having it, so Aaron took him to the car and they left.

They did stop in a little tent gift shop thing, but the small toy cars were $35 each. So Aaron took him to Wal-Mart and found a racing Ferrari HotWheels car for Morgan for two and a half bucks. Much better.

When we'd ask him about the race and what he liked he made sure we knew he liked the cars that weren't loud. But he had a ton of fun, and Aaron enjoyed it too.

Easter Morning

Coincidentally, Easter fell on the same Sunday as General Conference, which was great because it meant that we didn't have to wake up early and get ready for church. We could just take our time and enjoy seeing what the Easter Bunny brought.
It went like this. I was still in bed, but not sleeping when I heard Morgan's bedroom door open from across the hall. Pause. Then, "The Easter Bunny came! There's candy! The Easter Bunny came!" Right at his door was the candy trail that led all the way to his Easter basket in the living room.
Aaron and I got up to watch him follow the trail. He immediately noticed Sally in his basket, something he had just been sure the Easter Bunny would bring him.
So, Morgan was so spoiled this year that his basket didn't really have enough room for all the candy plus the toys and games. (He got a memory game and a travel sized Hungry Hungry Hippo's. And a cheap little sailboat for the bath.) Instead of putting the candy filled eggs in his basket we hid them around the living room. It's more fun that way anyway.

He found an egg. Don't mind all the boxes and stuff. Since we thought we were moving we had most of the house boxed up. And since we might still be moving, (though keeping the same job) we haven't unpacked all of it.
When Morgan found all of his eggs, his basket was quite full. But hey, keep in mind, the whole bottom half is filled with paper grass, so it's not ALL candy.

From this I learned that Morgan is not a fan of peeps. Neither are Aaron and I. So...they all got rock hard and today I finally threw them away.