It's Back to School

Today was the first day back! Nick is now in 10th grade, Kate is in 5th, and Ashlan is in 1st!

I snapped a few pictures of Ashlan and Nick this morning! It's going to be a great year!

Had to get some curl in her board straight hair!


Brother and Sister (10th grade and 1st grade) Love these kids!


Didn't end up getting much curl in that hair.....but she is beautiful and precious, curl or no curl!


Being silly with Ashlan to ease her nerves! "First grade is going to be hard, Mommy!"


Putting her belongings away in her locker!


And the day begins! I love you sweet girl! Have a fantastic, exciting first grade year!!!

Growing up so fast....

This is an exact conversation I just had with Ashlan....

Ashlan: "Mommy, can I shave my legs?"
Me: "No, Ashlan. You will be able to years from now. Plus, you barely even have hair on your legs now!"


Ashlan: "Okay, then can I get my ears pierced?"
Me: "No, Ashlan, I've told you that is something you can have done when you turn 12."
Ashlan: "But Mommy!!! (frowns and gets an angry look on her face)"


Ashlan: "Then can I please get bangs?"
Me: "What? No! You have too pretty of a face to hide under bangs!"


Ashlan: "Mommy, you never never ever ever let me do ANYTHING!"

Well, Ashlan. No. Not when it's THOSE things you are asking for!

What happened to .......
-Mommy, will you take me to the bookstore so we can read some new books?
-Mommy, will you play dress-up with me?
-Mommy, can we make snowcones together?

THOSE are the questions I am going to say YES to right now!!!

Summertime Orzo and Chicken

This easy-as-can-be dish has become a staple in our house this summer! It can be a main meal, or something you keep in your fridge and snack on everyday (which is what I choose to do!)



Summertime Orzo and Chicken
3/4 uncooked orzo pasta
1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1in pieces
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1/4cup minced fresh parsley
2Tbsp lemon juice
1Tbsp olive oil
1tsp salt
1/4tsp pepper
1/4 crumbled feta cheese

-Cook pasta according to package
-Meanwhile, in large skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken over med heat until done (or you can take the easy way out like me and just buy already cooked grilled cubed chicken in the package at the store)
-In a lg bowl, combine the cucumber, red onion, parsley, and chicken.
-Drain pasta; Stir into chicken mixture
-In a sm bowl, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper
-Pour over chicken mixture and toss to coat.
-Serve warm or cold (I prefer cold)
-Just before serving, sprinkle with feta cheese!

Teacher Appreciation-Pencils

School starts on Monday and tonight is Meet the Teacher! I'm so excited to see Ashlan meet her first grade teacher tonight and to see her new classroom! It's going to be an exciting year!

I wanted to take something to Ashlan's new teacher that would show her our appreciation, yet also something the teacher could use in the classroom!

Here is what I decided to do!



It's a jar of No.2 pencils with a tag that reads "Thank you for helping our children write the future!"


And of course, I made one for Ashlan's Kindergarten teacher from last year. We've got to stop by her room and give her a hug too!


If you are looking for some ideas for a great Teacher Appreciation Gift for the beginning of the school year, click here!

And for another super cute sneak peek at what my friend did for her son's teacher, click here!

We are all melting...

This picture describes the Texas heat perfectly!



Need I say anymore? We are melting around here!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Ashlan had her sweet friend, Megan, over tonight. After lots of playtime and pizza, we decided to have fun with dessert! I found this recipe for Monkey Cupcakes awhile back and it seemed like an appropriate dessert for the girls to make after they finished 'monkey-ing around'!




Aren't the cute!!!


Click here to learn how to make them!

Grow a Shamrock

It's going to be a competition. My sister in law found these great 'Grow a Shamrock' while we were in Ireland.

What a great treat to bring back to the kids! But Dana took it one step further. Let's make it a competition she said!

So the plan is - It's the Florida Morgan's against the Texan Morgan's. Whose shamrock will grow faster???

I'll keep you posted on the growing as we see progress! Go Texas Morgan's!

Ireland Slideshow

Turn up the volume and enjoy!!!

Make your own slideshow

Happy Birthday, Bismark!

Bismark is now TWO! And what a fun two years it has been! This dog really did complete our family! He's the most loving, affectionate, EMOTIONAL, most HUMAN dog EVER!