The Morgan's Movements {Week 52}

The last week of 2017 has passed so I better recap before it's really old news! 

Last week, I gave the boys popcorn for breakfast and they were doggone happy about it! 

  

We spent one cold morning at Barnes and Noble playing with trains, reading and exploring. 

  

  

That night, we all went to CiCi's to each pizza. Maddox was saving some brownie for later. 

When we got home, Maddox became Tim the Toolman and he was so darn cute! 

  

With the chilly weather, we spent much time inside but we still managed to have fun! 

GiGi snapped these pictures of myself and the boys. 😍

  

And then these of Mason and I reading. 😍😍😍

  

Pure silliness! 

  

We went to the library one morning and had the place to ourselves. 

When I put Maddox down for nap and went to dress for work, I came back to this. GiGi and Mason playing with the animals. Much imagination between them! 

  

Super Daddy! 

Maddox and I had a date to Target and the library one morning while Mason and GiGi had a date at home. 

Whoa, more silliness trying out GiGi's rollers! 

  

Mason and GiGi had looked through a Lidl catalog and Mason saw some roses on sale. He told Matt about them and they snuck out to get them for me. I was so surprised that I cried. They brought chocolate ice cream, too! 

Oh man, the silliness continues...

I went to work and came home to this sign on the back door. When I walked around to the front, I opened the door to a clean house! Everyone got busy when I went to work and I was so surprised! It was a good day! 

Train fun...

We had a 40th birthday party for our friend, Paul, and we got to bring home cake! 

It was fun to be together for another "date" 

I'll recap New Year's Eve soon! 

7th Anniversary Date

We typically don't get an outside of the house anniversary date because we married on a holiday, however, this year we got spoiled by GiGi and we took advantage of it, too! 

We headed to Charlotte last Friday night for our date and we had the best time! 

Pulling into town, we saw the beautiful tree in Uptown Charlotte. 

Our dinner stop was Chima. We love Brazilian steakhouses and they are definitely reserved for special occasions which this one definitely was. :) 

We ate and ate on a salad bar and the amazing skewered meats until we were stuffed! Then...we ate dessert! ;-)

We had the best time relaxing and just chatting over the long enjoyable meal. 

Thanks again, GiGi! 

Our 7th Anniversary!

I am not even sure how 7 years have passed by since that chilly and rainy New Year's Day when we were married. This year was cold cold cold but not rainy thankfully! We planned to take yearly pictures but last year life happened and there is no picture. Hey, such is life! 

We got a fun fancy date this year as well as two other outings just us so we are definitely feeling spoiled! 

Here's a recap of our annual pictures...

Wedding Day 1/1/11:

1st Anniversary 1/1/12: 

2nd Anniversary 1/1/13: 

3rd Anniversary 1/1/14: 

4th Anniversary 1/1/15: 

5th Anniversary 1/1/16: 

6th Anniversary 1/1/17: 

didn't happen! 

7th Anniversary 1/1/18: 

Books I Read {2017}

I READ 97 BOOKS IN 2017!!! 
I thought I would make it to 100 but I miscounted at some point...Still proud of my 97! 

**I have highlighted my favorites in bold below.**

1. After the Cheering Stops by Cyndy Feasel

2. Hey Harry, Hey Matilda by Rachel Hulin

3. Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson

4. The Angel's Share by James Markert

5.  Dream with Me by John Perkins

6. Lost and Found by Kendra Fletcher

7. Her Secret by Shelley Shepard Gray

8: Love Story by Karen Kingsbury

9 Sandy's Gift by Phillip Dunn

10. Looking Glass Lies by Varina Denman

11. Only Love Today by Rachel Macy

12. This is Your Brain on Sports by L. Jon Wertheim

13. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

14. The Art of Losing Yourself by Kate Ganshert

15. The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth

16. A Mother's Promise by Sally Hepworth 

17. Wildflowers From Winter by Katie Ganshert

18. Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert

19. Life After by Katie Ganshert

20. The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth

21. The Hideaway by Lauren K. Denton

22. The Writing Desk by Rachel Hauck

23. Overcome by Clayton King
24. Love that Boy by Ron Fournier
25. Stepping on Cheerios by Betsy Singleton Snyder
26. Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand
27. The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond
28. Something Blue by Emily Giffin
29. Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
30. Love the One You're With by Emily Griffin
31. Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
32. Here and Gone by Haylen Beck
33. Jane of Austin by Hillary Manton Lodge
34. The One of Only by Emily Giffin
35. First comes Love by Emily Giffin
36 . Where We Belong by Emily Giffin
37. His Guilt by Shelley Shepard Gray
38. Swipe Right by Levi Lusko
39. The Island by Elin Hilderbrand
40. Between Breaths by Elizabeth Vargas
41. The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
42. The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand
43. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan
44. The Beach Club by Elin Hilderbrand
45. Nantucket Nights by Elin Hilderbrand
46. Summer People by Elin Hilderbrand
47. The Love Season by Elin Hilderbrand
48. Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand
49. A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand
50. Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
51. As Southern As It Gets: 1,071 Reasons To Never Leave The South by H Jackson Brown, Jr.
52. Church of The Small Things by Melanie Shankle
53. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
54. Real Love in an Angry World by Rick Bezet
55.  Nobody's Cuter Than You by Melanie Shankle
56. Here's to Us by Elin Hilderbrand
57. Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
58. Winter Storms by Elin Hilderbrand
59. Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand
60. Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand
61. The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand
62. The Match Maker by Elin Hilderbrand
63. 100 Favorite Bible Verses
64. Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors
65. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
66. The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand
67. I'll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, and One Wheelchair by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck
68. All The Pretty Things by Edie Wadsworth
69. The Physics of Everyday Things by James Kakalios
70. Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker
71. Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster
72. Education A La Carte By Kevin Leman
73. Change of Heart by Courtney Walsh
74. Just Look Up by Courtney Walsh
75. Slow Down by Nichole Nordeman
76. Paper Hearts by Courtney Walsh
77. Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer
78. Evicted by Matthew Desmond
79. A Fierce Love by Shauna Shanks
80. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
81.  The Gift by Shelley Shepard Gray
82. Come and Eat by Bri McCoy
83. Total Christmas Makeover by Melissa Spoelstra
84. When We Were Worthy by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
85. Winter Solstice by Elin Hilderbrand
86. Free of Me by Sharon Miller
87. Convicted by Jameel McGee and Andrew Collins
88. Why I Didn't Rebel by Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach
89. The Daniel Dilemma by Chris Hodges
90. Christmas at Grey Sage by Phyllis Clark Nichols
91. The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck by Bethany Turner
92. American Fire by Monica Hesse
93. In This Moment by Karen Kingsbury
94. Before We We Yours by Lisa Wingate
95. The Last Girl by Nadia Murad
96. Perennials by Julie Cantrell
97. Sweet Tea and Sympathy by Molly Harper 

The Last Girl by Nadia Murad {A Book Review}

The Last Girl by Nadia Murad is the last book I read in 2017 and it definitely wasn't an "awww" type a book like so many of the books I read in 2017. 

This book, The Last Girl, was a hard hard read. The experiences that Nadia and her family endured are something that, honestly, I could hardly fathom before reading this book. 

While Nadia discusses what their lives were like before ISIS took over her city and the hardships that they went through, there is a total shift in the pages when ISIS posted around the borders of their city. 

While it was interesting (that's hard to say) to read about ISIS from someone who experienced their wrath firsthand, this book was also difficult to understand in many ways. First, the terms Murad uses are just words I've not heard of before including city names, family names, religion names, etc. That makes the book somewhat cumbersome as I read. However, none of that compares to the harshness of the story overall, the fear that Murad and her family lived in, and the captivity in which she is held. 

Some of the story is repetitive toward the beginning especially but given that Murad is just trying to share her story that is expected. 

If you are interested in learning more about ISIS and those who have been directly affected by them, this book is a great read for that. It is eye-opening for sure. 

2017 {A Year In Review}

January:

Matt and I celebrated 6 year of Marriage.

We had snow on January 7th and it was Mason's favorite day ever! And it was Maddox's first.

We took a trip to Montgomery to visit Matt's parents and that brought the stomach bug which lasted for over a week in our house and all throughout Matt's week off from work BUT we survived and enjoyed our time together nonetheless.

I began working mainly a couple of afternoons a week and avoiding working on the weekends and it went really well.

I did some cleaning out and got rid of so many things we didn't need/want/use.

Maddox was sick off and on but he was happy nonetheless.

Matt and Mason went to Monster Jam!

February:

We enjoyed some of the most beautiful weather we have ever experienced in February in Spartanburg.

We started hiking more as a family and it was lots of fun. Croft State Park and Cottonwood trail were on the list.

We celebrated Valentine's Day as a family with a dinner out and gifts for the boys.

Matt and I celebrated Valentine's Day with date at home and discounted candy the next day. :)

We had lice. Ugh, I don't want to say more than I already have about that!

We went to the circus as a family and had a great time!

Maddox turned 8 months old!

March:

GiGi came to visit and stayed for 10 days and then we took a trip to Louisiana to visit friends and family there.

Maddox made 9 months old.

Mason had a dentist appointment and a haircut and he did awesome--his first time to really enjoy those two things!

We had crazy weather!

We celebrated Matt's 31st birthday!

We had another stomach bug at the end of the month.

April:

We went to see the Roller Derby.

Mason had a speech evaluation at a clinic to see if he would qualify for more services for articulation. We found out that he has language skills at a 7 year old level in some areas!

We attended the Hop Into Croft event at Croft State Park.
We purchased a new car with CASH! 

We enjoyed the incredible Spring Weather during this month. SO beautiful!

We celebrated Easter as a family and enjoyed lots of fun outside time. 

We had Grandmom and Granddad over for dinner and we ate outside in the backyard.
We spent a Friday night at Spring Fling and enjoyed food, the dog show and bike races.
We picked Strawberries as a family. Our 4th time together and Maddox's first! 

May:

Mason turned 3 1/2 and Maddox made 11 months.
We enjoyed preparing for our family trip!
We took our epic family road trip. It was such a fun times!!!
We had a low key rest of May after our trip.
Memorial Day weekend was spent all together with park visits, grilling and just rest!

June:

We celebrated Maddox's 1st birthday!!
GiGi came for a 10 day visit.
We visited Monroe to see the Hills for a few days!
We finished out the month at home with not a whole lot going on.

July:

We spent the 4th of July at home and celebrated the 5th of July with Grandmom and Granddad.
Leslie had a girl's night and it was much needed.
We spent a fast weekend in Montgomery to visit PopPop, Grammy, and Mom-Mom.
Maddox got Hand, Foot, and Mouth and the rest of us managed to avoid it.
We had a big budget meeting to make plans for the rest of the year and next year.
We also talked a lot about travel plans for next year, too.
Maddox got bitten by a spider and had a bite on his face for two weeks.
Mason attended Ocean Camp at Anderson Mill Baptist Church and loved it.
Maddox had a fluke three days with a HIGH fever and then it went away.
We had some fun family times including the Farmer's Market, quick dinners, yummy desserts and plenty of time outside.

August:

We spent a week on the farm to house/farm sit for friends. Such an adventure!!
We started preschool at home for Mason and had lots of fun learning and teaching.
Mason started back to his speech at the Early Learning Center and has a new speech therapist.
Maddox worked on his 8th tooth FINALLY! And he began climbing on EVERYTHING!
I celebrated my 33rd birthday with a weekend with our fam, a girl's night and just some good spoiling. :)
We enjoyed the Curious George exhibit with friends.

September:

We had a visit for Labor Day weekend with PopPop and Grammy.
Matt and the boys enjoyed a weekend at his parents and I stayed behind for some relaxation and lots of work organizing the storage unit, our closets, etc.
We had a day/night of wind and lots of rain from Tropical Storm Irma.
I attended a Women's Conference with Grandmom at their church.
We dealt with a 24 hour fever virus that both boys had.
We went to Greek Fest as a family!

October:

So. Much. Sickness! We entered into the month sick and we left it without sickness. Praise Jesus for that!
We spent most of the first week of the month in Louisiana with my Dad and we got to visit family and friends, too!
GiGi made an unexpected trip back with us and we had a great 10 days with her! There was sickness most of the time and she even caught a cold from us but we still have such a good time.
We were hit by another car and spent half of the month dealing with that disaster.
We spent a long weekend with Nashville with Matt's brother and his wife. We saw the rest of the fam, too, but only for a short time due to other commitments for them.
We enjoyed a week at home WITHOUT SICKNESS!! We celebrated Mason's birthday (November 1st) to the fullest during his birthday week.

November:

We started off the month celebrating Mason's 4th birthday!
We got our car back after 16 days without it. We definitely celebrated that!
The four of us went to Myrtle Beach for the week for Mason's birthday adventure and the trip could not have been better.
Matt was able to hold several photoshoots helping families get pictures for Christmas cards and we were able to add that money to our house fund!
We spent part of Thanksgiving week at our friend's farm taking care of things while they were out of town.
We celebrated Thanksgiving with breakfast with Grandmom and Granddad and then ate later at Waffle House.
We wrapped up Christmas shopping, sent out Christmas cards and got ready for a great and full December!
We got all of the Christmas presents wrapped and even purchases some of our snacks to have for Christmas Day!

December:

We started the month with a Christmas celebration with Matt's parents. 

We had some fun adventures throughout the Christmas season...many nights going to look at lights, making treats, fun with friends and then a great trip to Louisiana in mid-December.
GiGi came back home with us and spent the last part of December with us.
We celebrated Christmas Day with GiGi, Grandmom and Granddad.
We rung in the New Year in some fun ways and are look forward to 2018! 

Favorite Children's Books {6}

Well, it has been a while since I posted some of our favorite children's books and this post only contains a small portion of the best books we've read recently. However, I wanted to post anyway and hopefully I can get onto a more regular posting schedule with these. We shall see! 

This book in the Prayer Monsters series, Tora Fright Patches Things Up, by Tracey Madder was a great lesson in forgiveness and such. an easy ready for any age child. The particular story is very relatable for young children. 

Several years ago when Mason completed the summer reading program at the library, he received this book. It remains one of his favorite books. The onomatopoeias in this book are awesome and are honestly my favorite part! The book goes through a full day in the life of city. It's super fun! 

I think I've shared Lisa Wheeler's dinosaur books before. This book, Dino-Dancing, is the newest one and we just got it from the library. It's super fun sharing about the dinosaurs competing in a Dancing With the Stars type competition. Mason hangs on every word! 

Here are a few of our favorite Christmas books, too. I wrap all of the Christmas books at the end of the year and next year, I will pull them out and the boys will open 1-2 every day between December 1st and Christmas. 

 

 

 

Maddox Says & Does {4}

He's learning so much! He walked over to me after he had #2, looked up and said, "Biaper!" 

"Surprise!" 

Some of his new words:
ketchup
up
open
wow
whoa
gosh
cracker
Elmo
something for quesadilla
uh-uh
baby/bebe
knock knock
yellow


Matt and Mason were in the living room playing and Matt said, "Let's go check on brother" because he was in the kitchen and unusual banging. Mason went all the way to the back door and didn't see him. Maddox was under the desk playing with a toy and taking his socks off. Matt and Mason were cracking up! 

**Looked out the window for the first time for a firetruck.

On, 12/7, "bye bye da"