Abby and Seth

Every week at small group Abby Koch watches out the window for Mr. Morgan. Without fail she runs to meet us at the door, nearly knocking down Mr. Morgan who's carrying Hamilton. She pushes past the baby to jump into his arms squealing with delight. She's usually excited to see me too, but nothing compares to her "Seth."


As I was leaving small group last night, I said, "G'bye, Abby. It was good to see you."

"Where's Seth?" Abby said.

I smiled. "Good-bye again, Abby," I said.

"Where's Seth?

A Wedding Shower

Last weekend on the way back from Asheville, we stopped briefly in Mountville for the afternoon. I attended a wedding shower for my dear friend Mollie Brooke, whom I've known since childhood. The wedding shower was such fun, and I got to see lots of old friends. Bess and I love wedding festivities because it gives us an opportunity to catch up.

Mom took care of Hamilton for most of the party, though he was certainly not without admirers wanting to hold him. Mrs. Gerry Crisp certainly took a liking to him.

Hamilton was not the only kid at the party. These two adorable chaps, Livie and William, are Mollie Brooke's niece and nephew, and they love playing with their Mimi. I caught them in a sweet moment of nearly toppling over sweet Karen Wham.We were also able to enjoy Sunday lunch with Travis, Grandma, Mom, and Dad. Since we were leaving Mountville at nearly Hamilton's bedtime, we put him in his pajamas. He literally slept like a baby the whole way home to Charleston.

Botanical Garden

Today's weather was much more agreeable for outdoor activities, and we spent the early afternoon exploring The Botanical Gardens at Asheville. It was a gorgeous fall day, so being outside felt wonderful.Joe and Judy pondered walking along the rocks in the little creek in the botanical garden, but we all opted for the gravel path instead.Sweet Judy, inspired by the fresh, fall feeling in the air, planted one on Joe's cheek.After a quick cat nap, little Hamilton was all smiles at the end of the walking loop.

Visiting Biltmore

We had the dreariest day for visiting the Biltmore House, but the rain was only light mist most of the time we were there. Hamilton was snug in his ride for the long walk to the house, and he did well being carried through most of the house. He fussed only a minute or two of the several hours we spent touring; of course, the fussy minute was when we were viewing the indoor swimming pool. His cries bounced off the walls, echoing and making so much racket. Oh well, the joys of an infant. After our tour on the way back to the car, we saw this handsome wedding party making pictures on the lawn. Despite the cold, rainy conditions, everyone seemed merry.

Hamilton and His Grandma Judy

Hamilton has had a great time this weekend in Asheville, N.C., visiting with his Grandma Judy and Papa Joe. He's been lavished with kisses and hugs since we arrived, and he's so content when Grandma Judy reads to him.The Going To Bed Book by Sandra Boynton is one of our favorites, and I've memorized the book because we've read it so many times. Hamilton has finally started paying attention to the pictures. I'm sure he'll have it memorized before long as well.Our dear friends the Brinsons gave Hamilton the book, and it's a sweet rhyming story. And he loves riding in the car when he can look at his Grandma Judy.

A Happy Birthday

Thirty-four years ago today little Seth Hamilton Morgan was born in West Memphis, Ark. We spent this rainy day at the Biltmore House, which was magnificent even in the rain. Happy birthday to my sweet hubby!

Best Buds

Grady and Hamilton are spending lots of time together in these first few months of their lives. I keep telling them that they will be buddies, especially since Mr. Morgan and I are such good friends with the Hardee-Whites. Yesterday the boys were so cute that I couldn't resist lots of pictures.

What's not so apparent from the pictures is how much bigger Grady is than Hamilton. Though he's nearly three weeks younger, Grady outweighs Hamilton by several pounds I think.Because of his bigger size and superior motor skills, I'm a little wary of leaving Grady alone with Hamilton. I caught him several times trying to eat Hamilton's arm. Hamilton lives with sniffing, wet-nosed dogs, so he was unphased.

Underwear

Tonight while making dinner Claire declared she could see my bra strap. I thanked her assuring her I'd had a sweater on earlier over my tank top, so no one outside the house had seen my bra strap. I finished with, "And besides, it's just us here at the house, so it's OK."

Claire replied with a partly sure and partly questioning tone, "Yeah, my dad has seen you in your underwear a few times, right?"

Yes, I suppose you could put it that way.

Funny Face

I think Hamilton was caught in the middle of a lip-curling smile. Or maybe he just likes to make noises out the side of his mouth. He's started making lots of noise lately, and sometimes he sounds like a kid who's trying to be annoying. You know, monotone "aaahh" sound that goes on forever and then trails off toward the end as the noisemaker runs out of breath.

Girls' Weekend

We girls had a fabulous weekend of shopping, eating, and catching up. Mr. Morgan was so happy not to have to shop with me that he didn't mind my spending money. We ate at such delicious restaurants, saw a movie, and shopped 'til we dropped.

Falling Apart

Lately it seems as if our house and items within are falling apart. I'm not complaining because Mr. Morgan can usually fix anything that goes awry. It's just seemed so curious that so many things at the same time need to be fixed or replaced.

A few months ago we replaced our dishwasher that refused to get dishes clean, and by "we" I mean Mr. Morgan. Now that I've been sitting on our five-year-old, leather couch for several hours each day, it needs apparent repair. According to Mr. Morgan, there's only one cushion that's still stable enough for use.

Our recliner was a hand-me-down from the Hardee-Whites, but it's seen better days. Thursday of last week I rendered the microwave unusable by trying to fix popping corn on the cob. I followed the CSA's instructions, but I still managed to start a small fire, which killed the electrical circuits of the microwave. And don't forget the Explorer that spent a week at Jones Ford after Mr. Morgan's wreck last month.

Last night's water-spraying toilet nearly made me laugh, since yet another thing needed repair. However, I did not laugh since gallons of water were gushing from the toilet tank, which apparently had gone unnoticed for the last few days. I'm beginning to think we have a little Casper in the house, and I'd like any excuse for my pyrotechnics with the microwave.

Banjo Accessory

Mr. Morgan enjoys playing his banjo for Hamilton. The other night I worked in the kitchen on finishing dinner when I heard him begin playing. A few minutes later I walked into the den, only to find that Hamilton wasn't sitting on the couch in the Boppy or in the Pack 'n Play listening to his daddy. For a few seconds, I couldn't even locate him. Then I saw him nestled with Mr. Morgan and the banjo in the recliner.

Mountville Weekend

Mr. Morgan and the kiddos had a great time with Mimi and Pops in Mountville. Mimi got to pinch Hamilton's little cheeks, and Claire got to sleep in the "cubby house," which was our playroom as kids. Mr. Morgan played his usual role as "resident techie," and he introduced Deb to the wonders of tabbed browsing, multiple and active windows, homepage creation, and other basic, intro-to-computers knowledge. He was also able to help Dale install a cell-phone repeater at Grandma's house; she's so excited to have good cell-phone service now.Mimi was able to capture some good pictures of Hamilton playing with a newly introduced toy.On the way back to Charleston, as usual Claire listened to her iPod, and Mr. Morgan listened to his music--a wide mix of folk, rock, punk, country, classical, indie, and banjo songs. He was listening to Taylor Swift when Claire heard a few bars and said, "Dad, I'm listening to my iPod back here, so you don't have to listen to that XM Kids' channel."

Good Effort

For the second weekend in a row, I skipped town kid-less to reconnect with best friends from college and to shop, of course. Kelly and I drove up to Charlotte to visit Julie while her husband was out of town, and we're having a fabulous girls' weekend (pictures to come). Mr. Morgan took both kiddos and also headed out of town to Mountville, so Mimi could pinch little Hamilton's cheeks.

Friday was a hard day for Hamilton because he spent much of it in his car seat and crib while I was running around and packing everyone--two adults, two kids, two dogs. He didn't take a real nap in his crib all day due to said running around, so he slept most of the way to Mountville in the car. Here's Mr. Morgan's "chat" conversation to me last night once we were both settled at our destinations:

Ham started crying about 20 min from clinton exit
poor claire couldn't get him to stop. she gave a good effort
by the time we got to the clinton exit, claire was crying too
she said "i just can't take it anymore!"
and then "waaaaaahhh"
they were in unison
i had to turn away and look out the window so claire wouldn't see me smiling

Got It!

Yesterday Hamilton laughed again, and this time I was able to capture it on video. Keep in mind that I'm trying to create the same situation in which he started laughing (then I have to grab the camera), and I'm trying to video the moment while not really being behind the camera. Hence there's lots of video of my hand instead of his face, but you can clearly hear his sweet, little laugh and a fun squeal at the end. Also ignore the silly "mommyness" that I must employ to elicit the precious laugh.

Three Months Old

Our little boy is growing and growing! He's three months old today. He enjoys napping, smiling, sleeping, eating, spitting up, and drooling. He has laughed once, and I'm eager to hear his cute chuckle again. His head is still wobbly, but he's improving. He does not enjoy "tummy time," but he does enjoy his Beatrix Potter collection. We read to him every night for his bedtime routine, and we're still swaddling him for all sleeping. I'm not sure how much he weighs, for we don't go to the doctor until next month. He is so precious and such a joy to care for every day.

Chicken Fingers

Today Claire and I had a typical car-conversation on the way home from her biweekly piano lessaon. After an in-depth monologue on yo-yos and their tricks, Claire explained that some toy she owns has the brand name of Klutz. "I don't know why they named it Klutz. I mean, that's what you call someone when you're making fun of them," Claire said incredulously.

"Do you know what klutz means?" I asked with some wonder.

"Oh yeah, it means clumsy. Or butterfingers," Claire said with surety. "That's right," I said.

"Or chicken fingers," Claire said a bit softer, followed by, "Wait, no,...I don't know why I said that."

Claire's Earrings

While I was away this weekend, Claire created some fabulously fun earrings for herself. She was excited to show them to me, and she loves having her picture taken obviously.

First Weekend Away

This weekend I went with nine other women from church to Litchfield Beach for our annual fall women's retreat. We had a blast! I left the kiddos with Mr. Morgan, and they survived. People kept asking me if I missed little Hamilton, but I really didn't. I guess I needed a break more than I knew. Spending all day every day with a baby makes me so appreciative for times of fellowship with other women.

We heard a great speaker, enjoyed luxury rooms, and lay on the beach all afternoon where we drank mock mojitos, heard most-embarrassing-moment stories, and played Bocce.

Laughing Boy

Hamilton laughed today--such a hearty chuckle that I laughed too! Either last week or the one before he laughed a tiny bit. It was so small that I thought maybe I hadn't heard him actually laugh. But there was no mistaking it today. I was SO happy to hear him laugh, and then he did it again! So I got up off the couch to grab the video camera, and predictably he did not laugh a third time. Eventually I'll be able to capture his cute snicker, but for today all I managed were these cute still shots.

Watching Two

Today was my first day watching little Grady, and it was Hardee's first day back at work. It was interesting to deal with two babies constantly needing something. I was a bit nervous for the first day, since I really only know how to care for my kid. But the boys were great! And, having cared for two all day makes dealing with only one seem much easier. I created a pallet on the floor, so I could play with both boys at the same time. Of course, Phoebe thought I'd made her a new bed and immediately lay down. Later I found her using the Boppy as a bed. Hey, that could be a good idea--a Boppy for puppies!

Email Layout

I like to meet new people, especially folks who are new to our church. Occasionally I'll "meet" people over the phone or via email, and a few weeks ago I met Anna when she emailed to say she wanted to attend this upcoming weekend's women's retreat. The next week I emailed all the ladies attending the retreat asking for help with various activities. Anna replied with a beautiful email--beautiful was the layout and structure of her paragraphs and ideas, her use of bolding and parentheses, the spacing, and her grammar and typography. I was so impressed by the look and content of her email that I couldn't wait to meet her! Yes, I'm a grammar dork and well-written (and well-typed) people impress me.

Homework Stinks

As Claire and I were riding in the car the other day, she said thoughtfully and longingly, "When authors write books, the kids in the story don't ever have any homework." Then she sighed as if giving up the notion that her life could ever resemble any kid's in a book--since she's strapped with homework every day.