WATCH OUT HE WALKS!

So it finally happened...Morgan has ventured out into the great unknown with his hands straight up in the air and his mouth wide open. This little guy loves to walk! Right before we left for Christmas break he started to take a couple small steps between us, then in the airport he took about four steps and now he just can't wait to get on the move. I think he really enjoyed the soft carpeted landings on every one's floors in Florida and was encouraged to keep trying with all the other walking cousins running about. Morgan does not want to be left behind or miss out on any of the fun. We have more video of him walking and opening presents and playing with his cousins but it is on my video camera and I haven't figured out how to get that on the computer yet so here's a little video I took before we left for Florida. We hope everyone had a great holiday break and we look forward to seeing all the pictures and hearing the stories. Ours will be coming soon.

Made in Harlem just for my Enjoyment

The other day I popped in to a favorite store of mine on Lenox, Harlemade. They have really cute clothes and other kitschy items related to Harlem culture. I saw this hat and just couldn't say no...it's brown perfect, the right size for my little monkey bonus and looks like a mini do rag score! I'm still so happy that Morgan will always let me put things on him and never tries to take them off. This makes me less sad that I don't have a little doll...I mean girl to dress up with pretty ribbons. He's a trooper.

These pictures are really just because I love my kids funny face and think others might find him fun to look at as well!

Morgan sports the one ear out look and baby root beer belly. That's how we roll in Harlem.

The other night Morgan was a bit tired and kept flopping about the living room. His favorite place to take a break was in the corner between the couches. Looks like a good place to relax.

During this same night Morgan and Cody had fun playing with pillows. If you can't guess Cody just got home from church...we're not always that formal. The next video after that is at our friends Ashley and Bryan's place. Morgan and their son Eliot were laughing at each other in the hallway so I thought I'd try and capture it but all I managed to do was capture Morgan going crazy because I wouldn't give him the camera. Once again I enjoyed myself and decided to share it with the world.

Cody wanted to make sure everyone saw how big his fro was getting. Nah it doesn't make your head look gigantic at all!

Since we got in the mood to take funny pictures we decided to get a nice closeup of our oily faces for all to enjoy.


Someone at church the other day told Cody and I we look like brother and sister. I found that a bit creepy at the time but I guess we do have some similarities...those cheeks really couldn't get any rosier on either of us.

Grand Central for the Holidays

Last Saturday afternoon Cody, Morgan and I had a few hours in the afternoon that were amazingly free of other holiday commitments. Cody decided to plan a fun outing to Grand Central to see the toy train set up and enjoy the seasonal festivities from a warmer location. Morgan quite enjoys riding around on Daddy's back and was busy taking in all the sights. That is King Kong on the Empire State Building between Morgan and Cody's heads. I'm not sure what this mountain is supposed to be since it was a little set up of the City but hey it was fun place for the train to go around anyway.

Morgan got his first taste of Indian food from Cody's samosa and really loved it. Of course I haven't really seen Morgan turn down any food at this point as everyone who sees him can tell. Yep, he's a future linebacker with exotic tastes!

We ate at the dining concourse and I had some fabulous pizza from Two Boots. Cody loves the Indian food here as well so we recommend it to anyone who happens to be passing through.

These are my boys in the main area of Grand Central. In the Vanderbilt Hall they have a Holiday Market set up that is pretty fun to see and is much warmer than walking around Union Square.

Strand[ed]

I love books. I really love stores that sell books. I really really love stores that sell books at a discount! And I'm absolutely IN love with The Strand!Morgan also shares my passion for books as you can tell...that's the face of enthusiasm!
This is the children's section of The Strand. I love coming here every year to buy books for all the nieces and nephews and now Morgan.

This year Ashley and Eliot joined in on the search.

Sunny and Harper also did a little browsing.

Though I'm not sure if Harper really got the true experience since she never opened her cute little eyeballs.


Before Ashley, Sunny and I dragged the kids into The Strand we wandered around the Union Square Holiday Market. There were so many wonderful ways to spend money in there but alas we were forced to just look and drool. Surprisingly it wasn't that hard to push around three strollers together...we got a few dirty looks on the subway but hey we've got to Christmas shop too!

Jump on the Elf wagon with Grinch names

So I've been seeing lately a lot of these elf videos on people's blogs and email. Fun stuff! It never gets old watching people's heads dancing on other people's bodies in funny costumes and weird dance moves. My brother-in-law Mike did it for his family and it was quite enjoyable. I teased him for having too much time on his hands and he sent this nice little video of Morgan as Scrooge in reply. Hope you all enjoy and Chamaine I'll get to that tag thing tomorrow I promise!

My good friend Sharon also had a fun little thing on her blog about Grinch names. Our family names are: Beth-Miserlybeast Poutyfoot, Cody-Peevishgloom Poutyfoot and Morgan-remains a mystery because the website won't let me on anymore but if I was guessing I would say Sweetcheeks Poutyfoot!

Decorating Take 1

I finally received my Uppercase Living order and couldn't wait to get started. Cody and I grabbed our tape, level, made sure Morgan was asleep and got started. We decided to give our apartment door a little festive boost. A boost that couldn't walk off with a stranger (actually our building is really safe and I wouldn't worry about a door hanger. I just don't have one).

Next up was our living room. We've had one wall in our living room that we could never figure out what to do with it. When I first saw the UL catalog I finally had an idea of how I could fix the big white space problem. With the help of some lovely picture taking skills by Ashley, her nifty camera and a lovely fall day in Central Park, we finally filled in the blank space.

Here are some lovely pictures of the "making of" the beautiful family wall.

We'll all just ignore my double chin, back fat and red eyes!

Please note our crazy plant that seems to grow a foot everyday and Cody's festive Christmas lights glowing behind the blinds. We're the only people in our building with lights...bah humbug to everyone else!


Since we have a little boy who loves to take baths and is sometimes joined by other little friends who also love to splash around, we thought this sign would be appropriate!

Great color coordinating don't you think?!

Well, that was a look at our first attempt at decorating Uppercase Living style. Hope you all enjoyed and let me know if you felt inspired and want to know how you to can fulfill your decorating needs.

Kind of like Howler Monkeys

Last night Chase and Morgan were entertaining themselves for a very long time by simply giggling at each other and peaking at each other around the edge of the couch. I was trying to talk to my mother on the phone and she asked me who was screaming to which I replied "No, they're not screaming they're actually laughing." It was the cutest thing watching these two crack up at each other. However, my favorite part of the video is the end...and don't worry two seconds later they were up and laughing again!

After the boys got up from their naps they both had a serious case of bed head going on. I tried to capture their amazingly crazy hair but these photos don't really do it justice.

Morgan's little curly-cue.

Chase went for the all over craziness.

Also, the other night I was trying to capture Morgan's new trick...foaming at the mouth. He walks around babbling and blowing spit bubbles all over his chin. He works up some nice foam action which I thought was pretty funny looking. However, being that Morgan can't stand something dangling in front of him that he can't touch, he got pretty upset at me for not giving him the camera. I have to say I think Morgan has the cutest sad face in the world and sometimes I just let him cry for a few seconds to get a good look at it. That's not sadistic right?!

6 Facts about me: Morgan the Monkey

Although I have not resided on this earth for very long, there are a few facts the general viewing public might be interested in...and here they are for your blogging pleasure.

1. I have an insatiable desire to attack anything that is dangled in front of me...food, mommy's hair, daddy's hair (chest, arm and leg that is) and of course cameras with flashing lights.

2. I like to wiggle and thrash about whilst anyone is trying to do anything with me...if hairbrushes happen to get stuck down the back of my pajamas while this wrestling match happens... so be it. That's the price you pay when you mess with the monkey!


3. I enjoy accessorizing with all things animals. Monkey hats, turtle shoes, elephant costumes...the list could go on and on. This trend continues on with my sleeping attire as seen by my bulldog, monkey, and dinosaur pajamas.

4. I have discovered that frustrating my parents is a complex art form. First step is to do amazingly cute things whenever the camera is just out of reach of both parents and I am on a precarious perch in which they cannot leave me unsupervised. The second step involves hightailing it to the edge of the bed and consequently just out of frame whenever they obtain said camera.

5 and 6. Living with my parents, mommy and daddy, in Spanish Harlem makes for pretty dull posts sometimes so I must do my best to fill each day with crazy stunts and super cuteness so that their friends and family won't abandon hope of entertainment when they view our Royal Adams Antics!

6 Facts You Never Knew You Always Wanted to Know

I've seen other people write these and always enjoyed reading them so here goes, 6 facts about yours truly:

1. I have had a life long obsession with changing my hair. Since I was born blond and my mother would kill me if I did, I have never dyed my hair. I do however constantly change the look by growing it out long then chopping it all off in a variety of ways. At one point in college my hair was about an inch long and spikey. If I could afford it I would have a new hairdo as often as my hair would permit. It's just hair have fun with it; it will always grow back is my motto- plus if you grow it long enough cancer kids get to enjoy it too!

2. I have an immense hatred for gum! If you know me well enough you know this one already; I can't stand the sight, smell, noise, touch and thought of gum. Cody has agreed to never chew it around me and only does so at work and makes sure his breath does not smell like gum when he comes home or else I would not kiss him or possibly throw up on him!

3. I could sit down and watch a documentary about ANYTHING! I have watched history programs about every possible angle on Hitler's life, technological inventions, various food items and how they're made, people and places I've never heard of and have no desire to visit and any other bizarre random show PBS or the History Channel can come up with. I LOVE random knowlege!

4. As a child I scared someone so bad with my natural acting abilities that they had to see a therapist and couldn't sleep for quite a long time. I will be forever sorry for playing that performance and have decided not to pursue acting in life since I have no control over my powers...j/k I learned pretty early on (my sophomore year in college) that acting was not really my calling in life. I'm a nerd who belongs backstage reading or giving orders.

5. I love Deviled ham. For those of you not familiar with this canned meat delicacy, it is probably one step away from Spam...I'm not sure if it is a step up or down since I don't eat Spam but it is only a step away I am sure! Ever since I was a kid I love a good Deviled Ham, cheese and mustard sandwich. I like this so much that my dear friend Mesha actually sent me a can in my b-day package last month. Cody likes to gag and make disgusting noises and references to cat food when I eat it but I enjoyed every bite!

6. I use to wear Jnco Jeans and a huge wallet chain. I am talking super huge baggy skater boy jeans with a dog chain that went down past my knees. I topped off this look with big baggy skater t-shirts with a ton of bizarre necklaces, bracelets and rings. Not to mention the 9 (yes that is right 9) earrings I had including the inner part of my ear. I not only dressed like this my senior year in high school but my freshman year at Ricks College (ask Cameron if you don't believe me). There was really no reason for me to dress like this since I love being a girl and have never and will never ride a skateboard but what can I say I was young, rebellious and exploring the various worlds of fashion!

So there everyone, those are some random facts about me. I almost mentioned my webbed toes but decided not to embarrass myself too much! I would love to see other people's lists and look forward to the comments. Have a great Thursday!

Uppercase Update

Just a few quick notes on the Uppercase Living business adventure. I have now received my "starter kit" so I have catalogs for anyone in my area that would like to look through them. You can still go online and view the catalog there as well and even create your own designs. You will need my Demonstrator ID: 403841 and my Registration Token: BAdams. Once you decide you want to place an order just let me know the items and I will put in the order. You pay me by check or cash and I pay the company. I will hopefully set up a small party soon, though I know it's a difficult time of year. The spring/summer catalogs come out on December 16th for anyone looking to the future. Once again the last day to order any holiday items this year is Friday Nov. 30th! Enjoy creating!

Turkey Day Fun

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday weekend and got lots of goodies to eat. We had a great time hanging out together and running errands and getting some holiday shopping taken care of together. On Thanksgiving we watched the parade and dog show then headed over to our friend Anna's house for the big meal. I made two pies and some sweet potatoes and everyone else made lots of delicious food. Here are some pics from the festivities.

Our good friend Ned tickling Morgan.

My masterpieces Dried Cherry/Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie and Morgan (who wouldn't sit still long enough to get his outfit snapped back together after a diaper change).




This was my first attempt at a fruit pie and a double crust pie. I was pretty happy with both results. The pumpkin pie was all organic...we're so New York chic! Actually it is just the on-line grocery store we order from, Fresh Direct, so we go along with it. Cody likes to mock all the anti-biotic free and free-range craziness. He likes to ponder about the free-range chicken wandering the prairies and of herds of sweet potatoes living wild and free. Oh well, can't hurt anything I guess to live without all the extras.



Morgan did a good job not getting into everything but we had to let him feel apart of the meal. While we ate I fed him Vegetable Turkey Dinner and some Apple Dessert...once again all organic! We're green people!



The lovely Margy who always has a great smile!

Cody, with our friends Dan and Marci. Marci is the Nursery Leader in our ward and as the Assistant Nursery Leader, I am VERY thankful for her this season! She is wonderful with the kids, very creative and likes to keep things clean. All great qualities for dealing with a bunch of little demons...I mean angels!

I caught Oliver and Anna, our hostess for these festivities, a little off guard but Benjamin, Anna's brother, was ready for my photo.

After the party we took a nice long walk back home and before Morgan went to bed snapped some photos of our festive foot attire. My socks actually have some holes in them thanks to my cat Gravy (she still lives in Utah with our dear friends Mesha and Kelley). Morgan's socks said My First Thanksgiving and made me smile. I love having someone to dress up just the way I want him...besides Cody of course!

Morgan and I recovering from all the delicious food and holiday fun. FYI the pack-n-play in the background is where Chase sleeps when he comes over. Morgan is now comfortably in his own room which finally looks like a real nursery.

The rest of our weekend was pretty chill and very cold so we didn't get out all that much. Morgan and I are getting over colds which didn't help our holiday spirits but we managed. We hope everyone travelled in safety and we look forward to reading your posts and hearing about all the fun you had. We are grateful for all of our wonderful friends and family this year. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Days Are Getting Shorter

Once again I thought I'd make another post about our lives this past week and weekend. We had a few exciting events and some run of the mill events in our city lives. On Wednesday our friends Ashley and Eliot went for a walk with Morgan and me. We had high hopes for a long walk and a nice day. However, the meteorological powers decided to make it a long crappy weather walk but we still had fun getting out of our apartments. We walked along the East River and over the bridge to Wards Island. I'm pretty sure there is a mental hospital on this Island between Manhattan and Queens and that we passed a few wandering escaped patients on the way there. We didn't actually get to the island because weather forced our return. But we did stop to take a few photos of the dreary skyline. This would be the Upper East Side behind us.Ashely and Eliot enjoying the elements.
The other night in the bath I decided to give Morgan a Mohawk. Then I put him to bed without brushing it down. He woke up the next morning with the most perfect little Mohawk curly-cue thing that lasted all day. I was thrilled. I haven't been able to recreate this look but we did enjoy it at the time. I love this first picture because you can just hear Morgan squealing with delight over the capture of the pen. Cody looks a little lazy eyed but we'll ignore that!

Morgan enjoying the fruits of his labors.

That look came in handy because that was the same day, Thursday, Cody was doing a Maidenform event where a photographer was taking pictures of editors as a promo event for a new bra. Don't worry he wasn't taking pictures of them in the bras just a way to entice them there. Anyway, the photographer graciously agreed to snap a couple photos of Morgan and the hairdo looked great for the pictures. We don't have them yet but we're excited to see them. The photographer is Matt Schwartz and you can check out his retro funky look at that website. On Friday some good friends of ours were in town sightseeing for just a few days and we met up with them for lunch along with another good friend who lives in Brooklyn. We decided to take them to Max Brenners's Chocolate by the Bald Man because we love the food and the atmosphere is fun and somewhat kid friendly. The truffle was amazing!

On Saturday our dear friend Eliot celebrated his First Birthday. We all went to their home for pizza, cupcakes, toys and fun. I also enjoyed the adult conversations as well. Eliot and Chase were both given cakes to destroy and enjoyment was had by all. I also took some fun videos of the boys getting down and dirty with blue frosting and posted them on Youtube. So if you like watching children destroy pastries, these videos are for you.

Chase wasn't quite sure about the whole thing but he did seem to enjoy the squishiness.

Eliot's grandfather sent him a BMW toy car. This is a real BMW made by the company; pretty fancy ride for a one year old.

Another new development in our lives is Morgan's ability to walk things around the house. He likes to walk pushing chairs and anything else he can get to move. He has a walker piano toy thing that he would stand and play but I didn't think he could walk with it yet. Morgan proved me wrong by turning it away from the couch himself and walking across the room with it. This is now his favorite thing in the whole world and we spend a majority of our evening sending him back and forth across our small home. So here's a little video of Morgan's new talent. Hope you enjoyed our week and we look forward to hearing about every one's Thanksgiving Festivities later this week. Happy Turkey Day!