Hairy Holidays

We've been gearing up for some holiday cheer around here. Our Thanksgiving with Nana & Papa was wonderful. We ate real potatoes (not the "surprise" kind) and pie--yes, PIE! It was heavenly. We were so excited to eat, I didn't even think of taking any pictures.

I did get a couple pics of Tessie enjoying her first Thanksgiving meal (she ate later because she napped through our meal--again, heavenly!). As you can see, she enjoyed herself as well.

Ry took some time off last week and it's been so nice for our little family to spend time together. And it's also nice to spend time by myself! I really wasn't planning on going shopping on Black Friday, but then I realized if I went, I could go ALONE (Ry home w/the baby)! True, there would be thousands of other shoppers elbowing me left and right, but mentally, I'd be ALONE!

So I went out and bought a Christmas tree! Our old tree is so squat and fat and takes up way too much room in our already-too-small living room. So I got a tall, skinny one that fits neatly in the corner.

Things were so crazy that we never put up our tree last year, so I was excited to get out all of our ornaments again. Since we were first married (right after Christmas!), we have picked out one special ornament each year. By now, we have quite the collection and it was fun to go through them again and remember all the years we've had together.

Of course, all of those ornaments are hung on the top half of the tree. Tess was excited when we were putting it up (she kept letting out these nervous little laughs, like we really shouldn't be doing this), but she's been pretty good at leaving it alone. I still have to put a few finishing touches on the tree, and then I'll post a pic of the final product.

Tess has been working on good grooming lately. As you well know, she doesn't have much hair to speak of, so I've never spent much time brushing her hair.

I thought it was funny when she picked up this brush and started "brushing" her hair. I don't know how she knows what to do with a brush. She picked it up somehow.

Her hair is getting a little longer--at least it is in the back and a little on the top. But it's still rubbed short on the crown of her head and it's sparse on the sides. With some distraction by Dad, I was able to wrangle some pigtails on the back of her head. They didn't last long, but awwww, my Shnuggy! I can't wait for her to grow some more hair!

What Tessie may find in her stocking this year:

Tess Helps Mother With the Dishes

Just as often as she wishes!

Just a few pics of Tess the Domestic Diva.
She loves to be in the kitchen when I'm working in there.
I just have to be careful where I step.

And, for your pre-Thanksgiving delight, another short installment from the BYU Daily Universe Police Beat. Vote for your favorite now!

1. The Provo Police Department called the University Police for assistance after a jogger reported a man scaling a fence carrying a gun while exiting the Provo Temple grounds on Monday at 1:36 a.m. Police searched for the suspect but could not find anyone. Police think the witness could have mistaken a security guard for the suspect.

2. A student reported suffering a dislocated shoulder following a miscalculated high-five.

3. A 22-year-old male student reported Sept. 17 that his $40 homemade bicycle was stolen from the bike rack near the botany pond on 800 North. The bike was left unlocked and unattended for two hours.

4. An 18-year-old female student was a victim of a water gun attack. The victim reported on Sept. 20 that someone shot at her with a water gun and ruined her new hymn book. The victim was walking home from tunnel singing just south of the Marriot Center when the water gun was squirted. The suspects were apprehended and will replace the hymn book and make restitution. No criminal harges have been made.

5. A piano teacher observed a nine-year-old boy and his mother striking each other and wrestling on the ground in front of Wymount Terrace when the boy refused to go to his piano lesson on Jan. 14. The incident was reported to the Utah Division of Family Services.

Meredith!!!

I want pictures of LK! Pronto!

Daddy Love

Ryan is so in love with his baby. Every time he sees a baby in an advertisement he says, "That baby is nowhere near as cute as Tess. She is just so much cuter." I tried to explain to him that as Tess' parents, we are probably a little biased as to her cuteness. He doesn't buy it.

Saturday morning cartoons.
There was no way I could resist taking this shot.
But then again, I'm biased.

From my observations, the feeling is mutual. Tess could rewrite the half-hearted lyrics to I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home. Every night she gives Dad a reception like she does for no one else. Whenever he walks through the door, she stops what she is doing and starts squealing, shaking her head back and forth, waving her hands and kicking frantically. She gets so excited and immediately pivots around to start skooching toward him.

"Da Da" is Tess' favorite "happy" word. When she's in a good mood, she loves saying "Da da da da." "Ma ma," on the other hand, is not a happy sound for her. She reserves "Ma ma" for when she is most displeased. For example, when she does not want to go down for a nap, I'll hear whining wails from her room to the tune of: "Ma ma ma ma MAAAAA!" I know she loves me, but there is just something special about Dad.

They are so lucky to have each other and I'm blessed to have them both!

Ho Ho Ho!

I took Tess on her first visit to meet Santa (or "Ho Ho," as Kate used to call him). I know it's early, but our playgroup went to get pictures done for a discounted group rate. And best of all--no lines!

Tess wasn't too sure what to make of the bearded old man (yes, it was a real beard!), but Ho Ho was very kind to her and she did like the white fur on his suit. She wasn't screaming, and she only looks semi-terrified in her picture. I'd call it a success!

Lots of Pictures of Tess

You can probably tell that I haven't been in much of a picture-taking mood lately. The shutterbug urge comes and goes. However, Maureen's demand for baby pictures remains constant. So once again, this post is for you Reen!

Fortunately, Green Bean's desire for pics of my baby should decrease dramatically 6 months from now, when she has her OWN little bambino to capture on film. Tess, enjoy it while you can. Your days as the littlest cousin are numbered! (Finally, someone else to pick on!)

Tess has discovered that books aren't just for ripping to shreds. It's much more fun if you read them and THEN shred them! She really has gotten into books lately.

My funny monkey.


There it is--the Great White! Check out that tooth!

Climbing is hard work!

As requested--pics of Tess' hair.
It's not curly per se, but it definitely has curl to it.

I worked all morning to snap a pic of Tess with her new tooth coming in.
She wasn't very cooperative.

This was the best I could do. Can you see the faint glimmer of pearly white on her bottom gum?
It sure is taking it's time to come in!

And one last hurrah! Baby and Mom.

Happy now, Reen? Pregnant women can be so demanding!

More, More, More of the Morleys!

What a fun weekend we had with Ryan's sister Ann, and her 3 kiddos Kate, Truman and Jake! They flew clear across country from CA for a short stay at Nana & Papa's house. It's been years since Ry & I have seen them, and Tess got to meet her Aunt Annie and cousins for the first time!

We spent Sat. evening together and we all went to church and spent the day together on Sunday. We watched a great movie (Nim's Island); had a 3-way birthday party for Nana, Papa & Ryan; and we worked on some intricate holiday crafts together.

Well, we started off making the crafts together. Next thing we know, Kate abandoned her miniature styrofoam snowman and left Nana to endure third-degree hot-glue burns and Ry to fashion a tiny hat from felt and dental floss. I'm still finding pieces of snowman glitter in Tess' hair. Truman turned out to be the true crafter--he assembled his reindeer craft, aptly titled "Raindy," 100% by himself.

Kate, Truman and Jake (who copies everything Kate & Truman say & do) are such cute kids! It was fun to have the Higginbotham house full of children. Tess just took it all in--I told her this is what it would be like to have siblings!

My two favorite cutie pies in the whole world!

Thanks for coming to see us Morleys! We miss you!

Headbanging Birthday Bash

Yesterday was my boy's birthday! We had fun, even though he had to spend most of the day at work. He was tempted to take it off--he doesn't think it's fair that George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr. get their birthday's off. Sounds like an equal protection violation to me.

Since Ry did have to go to work, we at least started the morning off right. Tess and I brought Dad breakfast in bed. Tess thinks it's great fun to be in bed with us in the morning. She's such a morning person and is always in a terrific mood. She laughs and squeals as she rolls around in the covers and climbs mountains of pillows. You can imagine that this activity makes breakfast in bed somewhat difficult, but we were able to subdue her with a generous helping of Ry's cinnamon roll.

When Ry came home, we had his favorite dinner (spaghetti, of course!) and he had good time talking on the phone to all his adoring fans (thanks to everyone who called to wish him "Happy Birthday!"). Then he opened presents and enjoyed a HUGE slice of his favorite pie (chocolate cream, of course!).

Ry's favorite present is the one he picked out for himself: tickets for 2 to see his favorite band (METALLICA, of course!). That's right--come January, Ry and I will be joining legions of other headbangers to see the greatest heavy metal band of all time! (No, we won't be taking Tess.)

Ry has loved Metallica since their inception, but he's never been able to see them in concert. He's so excited! And boy, do I have it coming, since he's gone with me to see The Indigo Girls every year for at least the past 7 years.

But that doesn't mean I haven't heard my fair share of Metallica over the years! With enough exposure, I've actually kind of developed a taste for Metallica. They are pretty talented and there is a musicality to their stuff that's missing from a lot of other heavy metal music. So I'm pretty excited too!

Mer says that for my own safety I will need to dress the part for the concert, so we are open to any wardrobe suggestions you may have!

In other news, Tess has been a busy girl of late. A quick update:

*Tess has been going on lots of walks with Mom. She loves being outside--especially when it's chilly. She loves the cold air.

*She's getting really good at pushing herself up to sitting. She starts on her belly, pushes up on her arms, walks them into herself and swings her legs around to sit up.

* Tess is in all my kitchen cabinets. It's one of her favorite past times.

*I finally found a pair of shoes that Tess CAN'T TAKE OFF! We have already lost two pairs because she takes them off in the store when I'm not looking. I was getting pretty desperate, considering it's going to get cold here before too long! I love these shoes on her--they look like the old fashioned white baby shoes and they lace up her ankle, so they stay put!

*She loves clapping her hands. Dipsy taught her this trick--now she starts clapping whenever I sing this song.

*And one last bit of exciting news--Tess has started to cut her first tooth (on the bottom). It's barely broken through--you can hardly see it.

I noticed it when we were playing and she was trying to "get" me. She does this by giving me slobbery kisses all over my face and the real clincher is when she grabs me by the nose and sucks on it. Usually it's miserably wet, but this time I actually felt something sharp. I'll post a pic when the snaggle tooth actually comes through.

That's our world for now. Ann and kids are flying in today and we are excited to see them this weekend! Stand by for pics!

Halloween-a-palooza!

WOW! Checking everyone's blogs the day after Halloween is almost as good as Christmas morning! There were such great pics from both the Murdocks & Higginbothams, I thought I'd post a few to share all around!

Maureen's Family

Isaac the Alligator and Kenzie the Puppy.



Josh's school costume.
(He teaches 3rd grade and that's really their dog.)

Laura's Family



Brookie the Monkey with Banana (how fitting) &
Fuzzers the Moo Cow

Laur made these cookies for her Halloween playgroup
(using fudge-striped cookies and Hershey's kisses).
What a cute idea!

Ann's Family

From their favorite movie!
Marc as Buddy, Ann as Jovie, and Jake as Papa Elf!
(Ann made Jake's costume by hand!)


This picture only furthers my theory on the connection
between Marc, Halloween and increased body hair.


The Elf crew, Kate the Pirate, and Truman the Storm Trooper.

Meredith's Family


We're off to see the Wizard!
Mer as The Wicked Witch After the House;
Lauren as Dorothy;
and Brian as The Yellow Brick Road
(he wore a sign on his back that said "Follow Me!").

Mer constructed this from a diaper box.
This costume was months in the making!

LK with her ruby reds--Mer glued the sequins on by hand!

Tessie has the MOST FUN FAMILY EVER!