The Boy loves lotion!

Kurt came waltzing into the living room--covered in lotion a few days ago.  He thought it was so funny! 

This is something that happens often.  Predictably, it occurs anytime the lotion is left out and unguarded.  You could almost say it's our fault for leaving the bottle anywhere within his eight- foot reach.

The worst part is:  It is funny, hysterically funny--but you're not allowed to laugh, even though you're getting the camera--because you know that you've got to convey that it's not actually okay to do this, or anything like it.  But when he starts crying so pathetically, it just makes it more laughable.

This one really makes me just want to snuggle him up, poor baby, but he's just so slimey!

Kurt hates getting cleaned off with a wipey.  He screams like it's dipped in acid or something.  Such a sad little boy.  

We love you, mister!  But you just can't have that much lotion!!

Difference in Size and other things

Hello Kurt!  

One thing you experience as you have a new baby is the immediate contrast of how BIG your previous child is compared to your new tiny one.

Now, I know the perspective of this shot is skewed, but look how little she is here!  It could be easily argued that our babies are never actually little, and goes without saying that they don't stay that way, but even a near-nine-pound baby is miniature compared to a near-thirty pound toddler.  

Here's Lily Eilonwy just after her first bath.  Ty always gets to give our babies their first bath and loves slathering them up with lotion afterward.  Another thing about our babies is that they are strikingly ruddy in color for the first couple of weeks, after which they pale to regular skin color.  

This time she wasn't the least bit jaundiced, and I think it was because we passed on the Vitamin K shot.  In the past, our kids have had a couple days of yellowing beneath their redness, but not this time.  I was glad.  There's only so much time you can sit them in the sun, wearing just a diaper.  Babies don't like that much.

Lily Eilonwy's life--the following week

Here's our cute baby, a little older, maybe two or three days after being born.  She's just peeking out of one eye to see what's up with this noisy family she's been born into.  Poor girl.  I apologize to her about ten times a day that she has such overwhelming (read loud and bothersome) siblings.  But hey, she volunteered to come to our family, so . . .

Yeah, she's just going to stay asleep and pretend she doesn't hear us.  Which is, honestly, probably very wise.  Now she's also a SMART baby, not just a CUTE one!    

This picture caught her getting ready for a fight.  It looks like she's going to punch somebody.  "Put up yer dukes, Kurty!" 

On Monday, when Lily was four days old, my mom Verna came with my two youngest sisters to stay for a few days.   She was very helpful and it was great to finally have her able to be with me right after I had a baby.  THANKS MOM!!  

Can you see the clip-on earrings that Ally's got on?  She looks so incredibly grown up like that, and she loves it.  Scares me though.   In this picture, my girls and I have got very long hair.  We cut all of it the week after Mom left, but that's another post.

A contemplative look from tiny girl to adored grandma. 

Hey they even match!!

My sisters Kathryn and Nancy were fantastic help with the kids and loved getting a chance to hold little Lily.  Later in the month, they each came individually to spend about two weeks with us, helping out and having fun.  It was wonderful for me!  How else was I going to read Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse in just one week?  I ask you!!

Kurt hasn't got an answer for that one.

But Grandma loves him anyway.  Even when he wears his underwear (please don't call them panties, or Ty will bite your head off!) on top of his clothes.  Poor kid is inundated with super heroes. It must make him a little crazy.  

Give your grandma a kiss, you silly boy!

These little creations are each about the size of a silver dollar, just to illustrate their minute detailing.  Nancy and Kathryn showed Ally, Brynne, and Lizzy how to make "Poogles" with modeling clay.  They spent all day making antennae, wings, bows, flowers, dots, tails, ears, tables, fruit, back packs, chairs, carrots and flying carpets for these teeny little balls with googly eyes. 

I was surprised that they were so engaged by the activity.  It was fun to see them play and pretend while they put together these little guys.  One thing I haven't got a photo of but wish I did, is a taco that Lizzy made for her poogle to eat.  It was so tiny and it even had lettuce! 

So, I feel like you're going to be reading these backward, since you'll start at the top of the page and read down to the older posts, which are about the first part of her (Lily's) life, but I suppose that's how it works.  

  This being said, "the following week" won't follow anything, but will be what most of you begin with, and will therefore precede the preceding post about her birth.  Is anyone still bothering to read this?

A (fifth) child is born!

These are pictures from Lily's first day of life, May 30th, 2008.  She was born at home, at about four in the morning.  This is Elizabeth holding her, while she wears her silly hat--and a rather exhausted expression.  Being born is definitely hard work!

Grandma Morgan was staying with us to help out with the kids, and so got cuddle privileges right off the bat.  She weighed eight pounds, four ounces and was twenty inches long.  She had lots of dark hair that has been slowly rubbed off in the last two months, and has beautiful dark blue eyes.

Lily was very patient and let everyone hold her, even Kurt, who was entranced, if a little freaked-out. 

 He really loved her toes and feet, and kept unwrapping her to see them again.

Checking out the little sister for the first time!  What's she hiding in there?

Later that day, Ty and the other kids made birthday cupcakes for the occasion, with frosting and sprinkles.  

They were delicious!  I remember that Kurt was very meticulous about frosting his cupcake.  

It was funny to watch him try so hard to get it on the top and carefully spread it around with the knife.

  Then he discovered that it was way more fun to use his knife to eat it instead of spread it.  

Here's Alicia demonstrating the fine art of balancing various containers of sprinkles, though using her chin to steady them.  You might call it a leaning tower of sprinkles.  She seems quite pleased with herself.  That's almost as long as her hair has ever been.  

Explain yourself!

"Morgen" Is a german greeting that means "Good Morning."  I took two years of German in school and my husband Tyler took about seven years.  (He was all but fluent in German when he was called on his mission to South Korea.)  We don't speak the language at home, cause I don't know enough, and he's garbled it all up with the Korean he learned, so when he tries to speak german, it comes out in Korean word order and conjugations.  

     I have always liked the similarity between the german greeting, and our last name, Morgan.  Truly, the "o" in morgen should have an umlaut above it, kind of like a sideways colon (:), but I don't know how to make my keyboard do that. 

So, This is a picture of the entire Morgan Family, meaning Ty's parents and all their kids and grand kids.  It was taken at our baby Lilian Eilonwy's blessing day party.  It's hard to get that many people to all look good at the same time.  Sorry Brandon.  

I'm  in the middle back with the tiny baby, Lily.  I'll name everyone for good measure.  

Back row:  Tom, T.R. (on his tiptoes!), Amy with Sara, Marie with Lilian, Kurt (folding his arms the whole time!) Tyler, Brandon, (on his toes, with his eyes closed) Charley, Lori, and Anota. (great smile, Mom!)  

Middle row:  Joey, Tommy (what a 'tude!), Brynne (I have no explanation for this face), Lizzy, and Alicia.  

Front row:   Anna Belle, Rachel & Dorian, Halle, and Zoe.

We love our family!!

It can't possibly be this easy, can it?

So After long consideration and on-going perusal of others' blogs, I have finally decided to put our family crazy-ness out there for all to see.  It seems like an easy, no-pressure way to let others catch up on your life, or at least what you're willing to share about your life.  Our life.  Looks easy.  I'm sure the hardest part is just keeping it current.  I hope I can find the time!