Morrill Moments

NBA Bound

2012-02-13T09:39:00.005-05:00

Jackson and Josh are really enjoying playing basketball this year. Parker is their coach and they have practice and games every Friday night. They have nine kids on their team and they are the Warriors!!!

Here are some pics from their game last Friday. Josh is in the red shorts and Jackson is wearing blue shorts...

Taking a water break...Cute guys after the game...

Mommy and Jack Go Shopping

2012-02-11T15:18:00.002-05:00

Today I took Jackson to the mall because he needed a new pair of jeans. I LOVE time alone with Jackson. He is such a special boy and I love being able to give him my undivided attention. We pulled into the parking lot:

Me: "Jack maybe you can pick out a new shirt today!"
Jackson: "Hmm...mommy, Josh isn't here and he would be so sad if he didn't get one. Do you think I could pick one out for him too please?"

I love that his very first thought was about his brother. SO sweet and thoughtful. So we proceed to JC Penney where we quickly find jeans (he's a size 7 slim now!) then he starts looking for a shirt. THIS is where I could see he is definitely PARKER'S SON! He found this ugly dinosaur shirt there for $12. He said he wanted to keep looking though. We then went to H&M where he found an ugly super hero shirt for $5. Then we went to Target where he found an even uglier super hero shirt for $9. Ah, the joys of boys clothes. Anyways, I told him he could choose whichever one he wanted (however, I made it clear these will be shirts that they wear only when we are home and in our cozy clothes, haha). He stood in Target for about half an hour talking to himself and trying to decide which shirt to get. That is so Parker, so indecisive and analyzes every choice. Not me, I'm quick and decisive. Then he asks me:

Jackson: "Mommy, how much monies are all the shirts?"
Me: "$12, $5, and $9."
Jackson: "Well, I really like this one, but do you have $9?"
Me: "Yes, I have $9, but that's all."
Jackson: "Gosh, I really don't want to take all your money mommy! And then will Joshy not get one?"
Me: "Honey, I think I have $9 for each of you."

His face lit up and he FINALLY decided on an ugly gray superhero shirt for him and an ugly blue superhero shirt for Josh.

When we passed the photo booth I just couldn't say no to my sweet boy so we got some silly pictures taken together.... Jackson picked the layout, because "it already says I love you at the top, just like I love you mommy!"

I love love love my sweet boy. He is such a thoughtful, sensitive, loving boy. He held my hand all through the mall and never stopped talking.

On the way home our conversation was:

Jackson: "Mommy, how do boy chickens know if the other chickens are boys or girls?"
Me: "Umm...just like you know if someone is a boy or girl!"
Jackson: "Well, its easy with people because boys have short hair and girls have long hair."
Me: "Well, I think they just know honey, they can sense it."
Jackson: "What does that mean?"
Me: "Maybe you'll have to ask daddy."

Haha, I love the way his mind works.

Can I freeze time? I LOVE AGE 5!!!

Time To Go Home

2012-02-10T08:28:00.004-05:00

Thursday morning we got up, got all packed up, and left McCall. I think all of us had mixed feelings about leaving. The trip was so fun and thinking about going back to real life was less than exciting, but then again, it's always good to be home. Before we went home we spent one night at my friend Tara's house in Boise. Her and I have been best friends since we were five but we never live in the same city so we take time to see eachother when we can. Linds and Jason dropped us off and we had to say goodbye, which was so hard. I hate not knowing when I will see precious baby Luke again! Luckily, I will see all the adults in July when we go back to McCall for a week in the sun with no kids!!! Anyways, Tara and I had lots to talk about and it was so good to see her... The boys had fun playing with Sophie...

Friday afternoon Tara dropped us off at the airport. By this point we were all very excited to go home. The kids were angels on the plane, just perfect. They are such good travellers. They've got the airport security thing down and are such troopers carrying their very heavy backpacks. I got lots of compliments on all 4 of our plane rides this trip on how cute my boys were and how well behaved they were. I was so proud. :)

This is their favorite part, riding the train at Dulles... Waiting outside for Traci to come pick us up! It was 11pm and Parker and I were thoroughly exhausted from a day of travelling but the kids were happy as can be! We all slept till 11 the next morning which was so nice!

It's taken about a week to get the kids back on East Coast time. They've had a hard time getting to bed on time and waking up on time. We already miss everybody but were grateful for the fun week we had. Thanks a million mom and dad!!!!

Next visitor: my dad!! He's coming to DC for meetings next week and is going to spend a couple days with us! Yay!

Fun in the Snow

2012-02-09T08:50:00.014-05:00

We spent a lot of time playing in the snow just outside the house...

The first day the guys made a sledding ramp going down the driveway and then up that little jump next to Josh... Throwing snowballs at daddy...

Grandpa and his boys...Jackson jumping off the dock into a pile of snow...Josh deep in thought...Grandpa, Tyce, Abbi, Livi, and David...Joshy jumping into the snow...I wanted a picture of all three boys in front of the statue of liberty but Josh wouldn't cooperate...Josh, Livi, and Jack jumping...I love Josh's face in this picture as he's about to hit Livi with a snowball...Jackson snow shoeing on the lake...The snow plows ruined the driveway sledding ramp so the guys got to work on one in the backyard...My mom even took a turn going down!Lindsay sledding...And Jason totally biffing it...Josh got a face full of snow on one of his falls...

Tyce is on my lap while I am doing this and he is just loving looking at the pictures and telling me all about the trip. We had so much fun! One more short post to come, then I'll be done!

Fun Inside

2012-02-07T07:58:00.011-05:00

When we were't outside having fun in the snow we were inside having fun! It was nice to have all our family in one house. Watching all the cousins play was just precious. Jackson and Josh just adore Livi (she's 7) and she loves bossing them around. Actually, Tyce adored Livi too. Abbi is 11 and would sometimes try to be a grown up and sometimes play with the kids. Poor Mason, who's 4, was really sick the whole week so he didn't get to do much.

Grandpa reading stories to Tyce and Abbi... This was a frequent scene in the house, if you know my family at all you know that food and meals are an IMPORTANT part of any family vacation!!! We all took turns helping my mom with meals and dishes but, in the end, my mom did most of the work as always. She had started planning food weeks in advance!

My brothers in law, David and Jason...David, Dana, and Lindsay's new baby Luke! I don't know why David can't make a normal face...
The cousins played lots and lots of games. Here they are playing Hands Down...Grandpa snuggling baby Luke...At night when the kids were down the adults would play games. Again, weird faces from Parker and David...Playing pin the feather on the turkey with Grandma...Doing a bead craft...Livi and Tyce...Playing Moose in the House with grandma and grandpa...Watching cartoons with grandpa...All the cousins! Abbi, Luke, Jackson, Livi, Josh, Mason, and Tyce!We went to The Pancake House twice to eat, it was SO yummy! The pancakes are the best I've ever had and HUGE! Here's my mom reading them stories while we wait for our food...Before we checked out of the house on Thursday we got a quick family picture...

I'm so glad my kids were able to spend some time with their cousins. They were entertained 24/7 for an entire week! They even got to sleep with their cousins because there's a big room with 4 queen beds in it so they all rotated who slept with who. The adults had fun too, eating, laughing, playing games, and just being together. I'm so lucky to have such awesome parents who could pull this off!

One more post to come!!!

Snow Mobiling and Ice Sculpture Festival

2012-02-05T16:41:00.006-05:00

Tuesday my parents rented snowmobiles for the day. The beginning of the day started out rough when my brother in law tipped his over in a hole and got stuck but other than that it was a great day!

Parker and the twins...Josh kept telling me to slow down when I was driving him but when HE was driving he was going super fast!

Uncle Jason took Jackson for a ride...Cute guys on their snowmobiles...Parker, Josh, Jason, Jackson...Then we left the kids with my parents and Parker, Jason, Lindsay, and I went for a ride. I rode on the back for a while then took my turn driving. I was "cautious" as Parker puts it, but I had fun driving!Linds and I at the top, it was SO pretty! Don't mind how nasty I look what with my snowmobile suit, no make up, hair in a pony, and a wind blown face...Saturday we headed into town to walk through the ice sculpture festival! It was really cool and the kids loved it.

Here are the twins in Candyland...Stegosaurus...Jackson, Mason, Abbi, Livi, and Josh. Above them it says Jurassic Park...Check out T-Rex's teeth!Buzz Lightyear! This was my favorite...

More to come!!!

Snow Skiing!!

2012-02-04T13:42:00.005-05:00

We had a fabulous time on our trip and are sad it's over already. For Christmas my parents paid for our whole family to meet up in McCall, Idaho for a week of fun in the snow! I was extra excited seeing as Virginia has decided to have no snow all winter! We flew in to Boise on Thursday then drove 2.5 hours to McCall. I had been to this house twice before but both times it was in the summer, it was so pretty in the winter!

Here is our view from the breakfast table...

It's right on a lake but the lake was obviously frozen over.

Friday morning we got up and headed to Brundage Ski Resort to go snow skiing! Everyone else in my family had been except me and my kids. My wonderful mom stayed home with Tyce so we could go spend the day learning to ski. We signed the twins up for a 3 hour kid's camp thing which was great. Josh caught on really fast but still got frustrated...
Jack had a harder time but was really a good sport about it...

I had an hour long lesson then was on my own! Here I am with my sis getting off the chair lift. I fell the first 5 times then never fell after that! Yay!Dana and I...Josh loved skiing, he would cruise down the bunny hill then hop back on the chair lift all by himself. He is so independent, he wanted to be left alone all day.
Josh and Grandpa getting off the chair lift...Notice Jackson has no skis on? He wanted to take a break and just play in the huge piles of snow, haha...Josh zooming down the hill...
Smiley guy on the chairlift...Wonderful Parker spent the day helping his wife and sons instead of enjoying himself skiing on the big runs. We had fun riding the lift together though!

Jack was so cute on the lift, he was so talkative and so happy...

We had lots of fun skiing. I was sure sore the next day though! I caught on faster than I thought I would and I really really enjoyed it! Too bad it's not really a realistic hobby for where we live though. :( Stupid Virginia.

It was very interesting to watch the twins. Josh caught on fast but was still so grumpy because he wanted to be even better. He wanted to do everything on his own and did not want to be taught. Jackson took a little longer to catch on and never got as good as Josh yet he was so happy and wanted to learn. He wanted to go on the chairlift with Parker and I and he would chatter the whole time. On the second day we went skiing Jack wanted to go back home halfway through the day but Josh wanted to keep going. So indicative of their personalities. I fear Josh will be my more difficult teenager just because he is so stubborn and independent.

More posts to come of the rest of our week!!!

Cell Phone Pics

2012-01-18T08:32:00.002-05:00

Here are some cute pictures from my cell phone that I wanted to add to my blog.

Here they are ready to go to Leah's birthday party. They thought they looked pretty cool... On mornings where Parker is home the kids like to watch cartoons on daddy's IPAD. It's hilarious to hear a 2 year old say, "daddy can I play your IPAD?"

The other day I was in the office doing homework with Jackson and I came in to check on the other two and this is how I found them, too cute...They got their basketball jerseys last week and were super excited. Their first real game is this Friday, I'm sure I'll have lots more pics then...Last week when I was incredibly sick wonderful Traci took my kids and looks like they had fun in the snow...

Nothing super exciting going on here. A week from tomorrow we leave for McCall for a week with my whole family. We're looking forward to family time and snow, but not so much the travel getting out there! Why do we live on the wrong side of the country?? Haha, we'll survive the flights and have fun once we get there, can't wait to see everyone...especially my precious nephew Luke!!!

Random Pics

2012-01-12T08:43:00.005-05:00

Leah and Tyce have so much fun playing in the new house he got for Christmas. They play the cutest make believe things, I love listening to them! I grabbed a couple pics of them the other day...

I also tried getting a picture of Tyce in his new outfit from Grandma Morrill. Let's see, if I hold up my backpack like THIS then you can't see my shirt...Now I'll cross my arms over my shirt...Ok, good enough. By the way, this is his "diamond" hair-do. In the morning he either asks for diamond hair or skipes (spikes)...Jackson and Tyce playing train...

Not much exciting going on around the Morrill household these days. The twins are still loving school and basketball. Parker is loving coaching them and being able to play church ball. Tyce alternates from being extremely whiney and annoying to being extremely cute and hilarious, typical two year old I guess. We are looking forward to our winter trip to McCall with my family in two weeks!

Morrill Family Fun Part 2

2012-01-08T19:45:00.012-05:00

Saturday morning we went out to breakfast, then headed home to play. When we're in Neola the boys really don't want to go anywhere, they just want to play at grandma's house!

Parker on his IPAD, Shane watching football, and the kids playing, pretty typical... Yep, that's me! On a horse, all alone. I did pretty well except for running into some trees a couple times...

Grandma taking the twins for a ride...Daddy taking the twins out for a ride on the 4-wheeler, Tyce got on later and liked it for a while but then his face got cold...Parker and his mom playing beautiful Christmas duets...
Grandma read lots of stories to the boys. She also got up with Tyce every night (he wakes up every night around 4am) and got up with Jackson the night he was throwing up. I slept right through it and she didn't come wake us up because she wanted us to sleep! I have the sweetest mother in law!!!Despite the fact that Parker was sick, he made us all dinner one night...
Sunday night Jackie, Tyler, Cole, and Kate came out! I was super excited we got to see them. They were in Oregon with Tyler's family and left a day early so they could come see us. Thanks guys!!!

Here's Tyce playing with cute Kate...Tyce wouldn't even TOUCH the horses on Saturday, but on Monday he decided he was Mr. Brave and got on with grandma! He was on forever and didn't want to get off! Too cute...Playing on the ice...Exploring...Tyce and Kate in grandma's jacuzzi...Cole and Josh had fun in grandma and grandpa's big shower...Jackie had the boys do a special family home evening for us Monday night. She told the story of the 2000 stripling warriors and had the kids act it out. Adorable...These are their tough guy war faces...

We also played lots of family games, ate lots of food, Parker and I got to go see our friends Brandon and Becky, watched LOTS of football, did fireworks, and just enjoyed time together.

Parker and I came home thoroughly exhausted from the trip. It's always exhausting to fly across the country with kids, stay up late, get up early with the kids, play all day, then do it all again. But we had tons of fun and it was SO good to be with those we love. Love you all!!!

Morrill Family Fun Part 1

2012-01-07T18:34:00.009-05:00

Thursday morning Michelle and Tegan came out to Provo to pick us up. It's always hard to leave your own family, but I really do love time with my in laws. The boys were all very excited to see grandma and Auntie Tegan and, surprisingly, stayed awake the whole drive out there!

We opened presents that night. The boys sure got spoiled! They love their new dress up stuff...

And the bow and arrows and nerf guns...Tycee got the Elefun game...Tyce LOVED grandma. He always wanted "grandma do it" and showered her with hugs and kisses all week...
Joshy was playing on the treadmill and it got going too fast and he slid off, on his face and shoulder. His face has since healed nicely but his shoulder still looks pretty bad...Friday we went ice skating! Joshy was a natural...Uncle Shane and Jackson, who was very determined and never once cried despite falling many times...Tyce HATED it, and was on the ice for about two minutes total...Cute Jack with Uncle Shane...Auntie Tegan was a natural...Adorable Joshy...Mommy and her boys. Those red things were my best friends on the ice, I rarely left them!Bart had never been ice skating and was VERY determined. Michelle was a natural! Bart says Parker gets his determination from him and his skill from his mom! Haha, but I can't make fun of Bart too much because he did better than me!The whole clan..."Mommy take a picture of me!"

After ice skating we went out to dinner and the boys got to pick out toys from the gift shop and toys from Walmart. Thanks grandpa and Uncle Shane!

Part 2: Coming Soon!!! :)

Barraclough Fam Part 2

2012-01-04T13:37:00.009-05:00

Part two!

Parker skiing with my uncle Darin and brother in law David... We spent an evening with my grandparents at their condo in downtown Salt Lake...

Parker walked across the street with the boys so they could see the lights on Temple Square...
Grandma Bybee reading her great grandsons stories...We spent a day at the Gateway Discovery Center which the kids just LOVED...They had the cutest little "market" for the kids to shop in...Josh making himself a turkey sandwhich at the pretend bakery...Jackson loved the construction site. He looked so serious and hard working the whole time...Jackson also loved the market...Playing dress up...There was tons more cute stuff at the discovery center but my camera got put away once Tyce started throwing up. He was fine all day, then around 5 he stopped playing and said "mommy my tummy hurt, my need medicine, go to doctor." I tried cuddling him but he ended up rolling on the floor crying, then suddenly threw up. He threw up three times there, then twice more that night. Poor guy!!!

So while he was sleeping in the other room all the other cousins had movie night while the adults played games...Sunday Lindsay and Jason blessed baby Luke so we headed down to Provo to be there. Jason did a fantastic job and Luke was precious. Here they are getting food set up for everyone after church...Proud parents of a precious baby!!!Have I mentioned lately how much I love this little angel???? Ah I miss him already!!!

We crammed as much fun as we possibly could this trip!! I miss my family but in 3 weeks we're heading to McCall, Idaho for a winter trip so we'll see them so soon!!!

Next post: fun with Morrills!!!!

Barraclough Fam Part 1

2011-12-31T19:21:00.022-05:00

Christmas morning we got up at 4am and headed to the airport at 5:15am. We had enough time to eat breakfast before we boarded. We got on the plane and then they realized we had no fuel so we got to sit on the the plane for an hour before take off. Tyce freaked out, I mean screaming and flailing. That lasted about 1.5 hours, it was awful. He's never been like that on a flight, I don't know what was wrong. The good news is he slept for 2.5 hours, and woke up happy. We landed and my parents, Lindsay, and Jason were there to meet us!!!

We went straight to my sister's house to see everyone else. The kids were super excited to play in their "mountain house"...
Abbi, Mason, Jackson, Tyce, Livi, and Josh...David, Mason, Jackson, Jason, and Livi...

Jason, my mom, and Lindsay...
Love this picture, Linds loves my boys so much...
I GOT TO MEET MY NEW NEPHEW LUKE! He's 6 weeks old, tiny, and adorable!!!!
My dad carving the delicious turkey...
I love this scene...all the family together and having fun...
We stayed at a hotel down in Provo with my parents. My kids love staying in hotels and had fun. Here they are playing a game with grandma...
Tyce LOVES "baby Ruke" and kept kissing him and hugging him...
We took all the kids except Livi to the Kangaroo Zoo. They had a blast. Poor Livi was sick with a horrible stomach bug that, since her and Abbi, Tyce, Jack, Dana, Lindsay, Jason, and Tegan have gotten!
Ok so I kinda hogged Luke the whole time. He is soooo precious, I just can't get enough of him...
Josh held Luke for a while, but got bored pretty quickly...
My mom got each of us girls these really cute daughter bracelets that say "Daughter, you are very dear to me, please always travel safely."
My sis in law Christine stopped by to say goodbye because she is moving to Texas with her boyfriend Walt. I got to meet my OTHER NEW NEPHEW KAI!!! He is 5 months, huge, and so cute!!! It was great to see them but very hard to say goodbye! Here Lindsay and Christine switched babies, so don't be confused. It was very weird seeing both my little sisters as mommies, but they look GREAT and are GREAT mommies!!!!
Grandpa wrestling the boys before we headed to the pool...
The kids loved waking up, having a continental breakfast, then heading to the pool....

The men went skiing twice while us girls watched the kids so we thought we were entitled to a girls day out...
We went to lunch, shopping, and got pedis...
It was so fun just us girls without kids and husbands!

I have one more post to do about the time with my family, then when we get home I'll blog about our time with Morrills!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-24T12:37:00.011-05:00

I wrote a letter to the North Pole asking Santa to come to our house one day early this year, since we will be flying to Utah Christmas morning. Last night after prayers and stories the boys were looking out the window for Santa... I'll tell you what, nothing is cuter than the excitement of 5 year olds about Santa coming, it just melted my heart.

A little out of order, sorry, but the twins had their Winter Celebration at school on Thursday. It was nicely done, no Christian songs of course, but they were happy to throw in some Jewish songs. ANYWAYS...here are some pics of the boys...

Back to Christmas Eve now. After basketball practice we came home, sang carols, read the Christmas story, then got cookies and carrots out. Tyce was not happy that Santa was going to eat all his cookies! They were all exhausted and, despite the excitement, fell asleep pretty fast. Santa got to work. Tyce got a table, blocks, book, and house....The art table above is for the twins. Jackson also got a Batman Setup...Josh got a remote control monster truck...Christmas morning...Tyce was super excited about his Mickey Mouse puzzle book...Jackson loved his Batman Castle...Checking out the candy in their stockings...Tyce in his cute house...Haha, look how my cute Tycee organized his candy while taking it out of his stocking..The twins each got to buy us something at their Holiday Gift Shop at school. I gave them each $15, Jackson was supposed to buy something for Daddy and Josh for mommy. They came home from school and Josh pulled out one box for me, then four for himself!!! Haha, little punk got me one thing and used the rest of the money to buy stuff for himself. However, I opened my present today and he got me "diamond" earrings and a necklace and was SO excited to give it to me. I guess he redeemed himself.

Sweet Jack picked out three very thoughtful things for daddy, a football screwdriver, mini screwdrivers on a key chain, and a weather clock. He is so thoughtful and was SO excited to give them to daddy... Auntie Nicole made them these adorable blankets. Tyce's is my favorite, it's a cowboy boot pattern...so perfect for him!!!Parker probably had the best Christmas, I surprised him with an Ipad!

Here is he looking super surprised...Here he is thinking I can't believe you would spend this much on me...Here he is HAPPY!!!Jackson writing Morrills on the front door of the new house. We also need to color it but that will take a few days...Putting together the batman castle...

It was a great Christmas morning! Now I'm off to start packing! We're getting up t 3:30am tomorrow to head to Utah!!!!

Light Show and Carnival Fun

2011-12-21T12:31:00.006-05:00

Monday night we went to the Bull Run Festival to look at the light show and ride the carnival rides. The boys loved eating popcorn in the car (we don't let our kids eat in the car so it was a special treat) and being unbuckled in the car. Tyce, however, would NOT unbuckle...haha Mr. Law Abiding Citizen I guess! But they were also excited to go on some rides.

Jackson just LOVES the ferris wheel...

They had fun in the ball pit...
Tycee loved the carousel...
I love this picture!!Our friends met up with us and the boys were SO excited to go on rides with Brianna...Ready for the rollercoaster! They all put their hands up like daredevils, hilarious...Jack and Tyce ready to ride the dragon...Tyce and Jake driving their car...They thought they were pretty cool going on this ride...Mommy and my Tyce in the tilt-a-whirl which I HATE...Parker was a good sport and took all the kids on it again because Kimberly and I were sick of it...Tyce and Jake pounding on the table...Our attempt at a family picture, gotta love Tyce's tongue...

It was a great night, perfect weather, not crowded, fun rides, and fun friends!

Tyce's Endoscopy

2011-12-19T14:10:00.002-05:00

This morning was Tyce's endoscopy. He was such a good boy all morning even though he couldn't eat or drink anything. When we got back to the prep room Tyce was super cooperative and cute. All the hospital staff thought he was just the cutest thing ever (his hair was a huge hit) so they kept on stopping by to give him stickers and dolls, too cute. He kept saying, my be brave mommy my be brave...

Then we went back to the procedure room where they started hooking him up to all sorts of things and he was NOT happy! He was scared and crying, it was so sad When I laid him down for the anesthetic he freaked out so we had to hold him down while he fell asleep, which absolutely broke my heart. I made it out of the room before I started bawling. About 15 minutes later they came and got me so I could be there when he woke up. Here's my baby fast asleep... He slept for quite a while and then his heart rate started racing and his oxygen level started dropping. The nurse got worried, hooked him up to oxygen, and started rubbing his back hard to wake him up. That lasted about 3-5 minutes, I was so scared. Eventually his oxygen level went back up and they took off the oxygen and he woke up. He was happy to cuddle his mommy... The results of the endoscopy? They didn't SEE anything wrong, but we'll get the biopsy results in a week or two. The doctor was a jerk, in fact, every GI doctor I've met with has been a jerk. I feel like they think nothing is wrong with Tyce and I'm just there for fun. My baby is waking up at night in pain, that is not normal!!!

When we came home Tyce was so excited to eat his oatmeal. He loves his yellow hospital gown, which they let him take home because he was so cute, and wanted to keep it on.

I was hoping he would nap this afternoon because we'll be out late tonight looking at Christmas lights but I think his snooze at the hospital was enough for him. He's doing pretty good now, although he's had diarrhea three times since we got back. I'm so frustrated, guess we'll wait for the biopsy results and go from there!

Basketball and Santa

2011-12-17T14:15:00.007-05:00

I thought this was just too cute to not take a picture of.. Last night was the twins first basketball practice. They are on a city 4/5 year old league and Parker is their coach! It was hilarious to watch, poor Parker trying to teach 9 kids how to pass and dribble. He only made one kid cry! Hopefully he can get an assistant coach because its a big job. The boys had fun. Jack spent a lot of his time twirling around and being in his own little world...

Josh got "tired' and just sat down, hahaha, wuss!!!Their first game is January 20th and should be interesting!!

Today we took the boys to see Santa, Jack and Josh were so excited to be "brave" and go up alone for the first time. Here they are waiting in line, and by the way, they all dressed themselves this morning!!!

Joshy told Santa he wants a remote control truck...Jackson told Santa he wanted a batman set up...And Tyce had a death grip on Parker and wouldn't even take a sucker from Santa...Cute guys!!!After the mall we went to a used book store and let each of the boys pick out a book, they thought it was so cool to have their own baskets...

In other news, Tyce has his endoscopy scheduled for this coming Monday, the 19th, at 11am. It was originally scheduled for February but since his symptoms have worsened the doctor moved it up, and I am thrilled. I want to know what is wrong with my poor Tycee and how I can help him. I am nervous about putting him under anesthetic, it's always scary with little ones. Please keep him in your prayers!

The good news...in one week we will be PACKING TO COME TO UTAH!!!! :)

Tyce

2011-12-14T08:30:00.002-05:00

Tyce is almost 2 1/2 so I thought I'd do a post on what he's up to these days. He is growing up so fast and is really getting some personality. Here are some things about Tyce:

*He LOVES to clean, organize, and help. He hates to leave the house if there are toys on the floor and is always happy to clean them up. He loves to organize things that are messy. He always clears the table if there's any remaining dishes on there after a meal. When he takes his shoes off he walks all the way upstairs to put them away in his closet rather than leaving them out like the rest of my boys!

*He is hilarious! Tyce is really developing a sense of humor. He loves to do silly voices and silly things and loves to make us laugh.

*He loves to read! He especially loves Brown Bear Brown Bear, Thomas, Winnie the Pooh, and dinosaur books. I'm amazed at his attention span for his age. I'm also amazed at his memorization skills! He can "read" many books by memory.

*He is no longer napping. Sad for mommy. He now goes to bed easier and sleeps later in the morning but I MISS that alone time during the day!

*He is very clingy. He's happy most of the day but he always has to know where I am and be close to me. I know I know, it sounds sweet but it gets annoying sometimes! How I long to go to the bathroom alone!

*He is talking very well. He also loves to sing songs. I love listening to him talk and sing, it's so cute!

*He loves his brothers, "Gack" and Josh. He loves playing whatever they are playing and copying them. He also loves to be funny and make them laugh.

*He is finally very much into watching TV. He LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and could probably watch it all day, if I let him. He loves all the characters and is so cute singing the songs and doing the hot dog dance.

*He loves to color and build towers with blocks. He is always very proud of whatever he makes.

*He is very affectionate. He is always putting his hands on my cheeks and giving me kisses. He loves to give me hugs. He's very good at saying thank you mommy. He is sensitive and compassionate.

*He loves to play with his friends, especially Jake, Leah, and Sarah. He talks about them all the time and is pretty good at sharing his toys.

*He's tall! I don't know his stats but I do know he's as tall as most 3 year olds we know! He's also thinned out as he's grown taller. I have a feeling he'll be taller than Josh for sure, and maybe even Jack!

Here he is doing his "big job." Every morning he unloads the silverware from the dishwasher...

I love my Tycee so much! He is a special boy who is growing up way too fast!

Gingerbread Houses!

2011-12-11T20:06:00.004-05:00

Tonight Jackson and Josh decorated gingerbread houses! Growing up I remember my mom spending hours baking gingerbread, cutting each of the pieces out just perfect, making the frosting, putting foil on cardboard for the bases, etc. Well, sorry mom, I was lazy and bought pre made houses! Haha, the boys didn't seem to mind and they had tons of fun.

Here they are just starting... Josh sure was licking his fingers a lot...

Jackson was very methodical about how to do his...Josh just loved squeezing gobs of frosting everywhere...Jack's finished product...I think he did pretty well!Josh's finished product...In his defense, I cut the hole of his frosting packet a little too big so the frosting came out pretty fast...Cute guys proud of their masterpieces...

I love this time of year, however, I've been feeling sorry for myself lately. I never thought I would be one of those people who lived far away from family, yet here I am. I want to have lunch with my moms, hold my little sister's and sister in law's babies, play with my nieces and nephews, let my boys have sleepovers at grandma's house, have free babysitters who love my kids, have family dinners, laugh with my dad, and be able to just "stop by." Rather, we visit twice a year and it's chaos. The flight is expensive and long. We are always exhausted. Then we cram as much fun as possible in a few short days with each side of the family, then back to Virginia, where the post-family depression sets in as we adjust to the time change and back to reality, lonely reality. I feel like my boys miss out on so much because they don't get to do all the fun stuff that other kids get to do with their grandparents and cousins. Especially because both sets of their grandparents are so great and would do such fun stuff with them! Why are we out here?

I guess now is where I should list off all the things I'm grateful for and try to focus on the positive rather than the negative. Focus on what I DO have rather than what I don't have. But, it's just not that kind of day.

Pajama Read

2011-12-09T08:34:00.005-05:00

Last night Cougar Elementary had a pajama read at the school. The kids got to come to the school in the evening with their parents and do some activities and listen to stories. Before we left Jackson asked:

Jack: "Are you guys (Parker and I) coming too?"
Me: "Yes honey we are!"
Jackson: "Well some kids parents aren't coming,"
Me: "Well some kids don't have parents that go to stuff like this, but we do."
Jackson: "Well, I wish you didn't."
SOOOO sad!!!! Parker and I both looked at eachother like, how sad! I am so not ready for them to not want me around them! However, when we got there he was pretty clingy and happy we were there so that made us feel better. :)

Here they are working on their "Build a Penguin"...

Jack loved his...

Enjoying cookies and milk (which, of course, Tyce couldn't have because of his new diet! so sad!)...Daddy kept Tyce occupied working on his penguin, which he later ripped up...Jackson getting a penguin tattoo, that night during family prayer Josh said "we're grateful we got tattoos." Hahaha, I hope Heavenly Father understood :) Josh rocked the bean bag toss and got the high score of 20!Off to claim his prize...Tyce got to pick a prize too, mostly because he was so cute. Him in his jammies and cowboy boots gets SO much attention. I got at least 8 compliments on how cute he looked...After we listened to some stories in the classrooms we went to the gym to read stories as a family. At this point everyone was tired. Tyce was running around wired and Jack was throwing a fit because the pencil he got wasn't sharpened. Hahaha...
Tyce is becoming quite the little comedian, it's so cute. He loves to be funny and make people laugh. He thought it was hilarious to run and then fall onto my purse, with my new fast camera I could capture his cute smile!

It was a fun night. I continue to be impressed with the school. However, the kids didn't go to bed until 9pm, an hour later than usual, so this morning was NOT fun! Oh well, tomorrow is Saturday! :)

Christmas Jammies!

2011-12-07T19:02:00.002-05:00

We got a package in the mail today from Grandma Morrill, which always makes our day! She sent the boys their Christmas pjs, ornament for the year, candy, and a book! They were super excited to open everything... Showing off their new ornaments, I LOVE this tradition of them getting an ornament each year...

Their new jammies! Is it just me or does Jackson totally look like a real elf? Haha too cute!

Thanks for thinking of us mom! We can't wait to see you all!

In other news, I went to the GI doctor today for Tyce. Long story short, we're going to do a VERY strict diet (poor guy can pretty much eat fruits and veggies) for 4 weeks. If that makes no difference in his diarrhea and tummy aches then we'll do an endoscopy, which we will schedule now for 6 weeks out. I just want to know what's wrong with my Tycee so he can feel better...

Christmas Season

2011-11-30T20:19:00.005-05:00

I love this time of year! I was super excited to get our Christmas stuff out, listen to Christmas music, and start planning what to get people.

Tonight the boys wrote their letters to Santa. Jackson wants a batman setup (what the heck is that?) and a remote control helicopter...

Josh wants a remote control helicopter and monster truck...Saturday we put our tree up, yes it looks tacky but we let our kids do it!

My mom made this snowman at some relief society activity a million years ago and Tyce loved it when I pulled it out of storage..Today Tyce and I went and had lunch with Jackson and Josh at school. Tyce thought it was so cool to be at their school, but kept asking to ride the "ellow bus." Jack and Josh were proud to show Tyce to all their friends, who thought he was adorable of course!

Fun Outside

2011-11-28T08:52:00.009-05:00

Sunday while I was taking a nap Parker took the boys outside to play. The weather has been SO nice outside, like high 60s! He got some cute pics of them playing...

Of course Joshy's tongue is out.. This was Jackson's reaction when Parker told him they couldn't go any further into the forest...Crossing the "lake"...Brody followed them, he loves to be outside...Brody is so tolerant of Tyce...Tyce playing t-ball...Playing catch with daddy...Jackson's ball rolled down the hill and then somehow bounced into a drain pipe and they were trying to figure out how to get it out. Parker was bribing the boys "I'll pay you a dollar to go get it." Haha, they wouldn't do it, wusses.So in climbed daddy...
He had to go pretty far up to get it out, and he came out pretty dirty. I'm so glad my boys have such a fun daddy who loves to play outside with them. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T10:02:00.005-05:00

We had a nice Thanksgiving this year, despite being without family. Parker played in the Turkey Bowl and we all went to cheer him on. In the afternoon we headed out to Leesburg to have dinner with out friends Rich and Ashley.

Here's the boys at their table...

The highlight of their day was playing on this swing...
Rich made them balloon animals which they loved...Ashley and I...Relaxing...Rich, Ashley, Parker and I...Our attempt at a family picture, if only Tyce would've cooperated...

We have so much to be grateful for and I tried to dwell on that instead of how much I was missing family. When I asked the boys what they are grateful for Jackson said, "I guess I'm grateful that I'm not living in an orphanage." Hahaha, hilarious. In one month we'll be on a plane to Utah!!! :)

My Little Artists...

2011-11-22T17:05:00.002-05:00

This is the scene at my house almost every day after school... Jackson and Josh LOVE to color, cut, tape, glue, etc. They spend hours at the table creating dinosaurs, robots, animals, etc. They rarely play with their toys anymore because they'd rather be doing art or reading. I am amazed both at their creativity and their love for art because that did NOT come from mommy! They must've inherited that from the Morrill side because the Barraclough side is far from creative and talented when it comes to art. I have stacks and stacks of artwork and creations each day all over my house. I love watching their imaginations go wild!

Here's Joshy hard at work...

Jackson hard at work...

Josh and Sarah

2011-11-21T08:55:00.003-05:00

Between the twins, Jackson is definitely the more sweet and sensitive one. However, Josh really seems to have a soft spot for Sarah. Ever since she was a baby he was really interested in her. He is always bringing her toys, talking to her in a cute voice, holding her hand, feeding her, cuddling her, entertaining her, etc. He is always very concerned for Sarah if Leah or Tyce takes away her toys. I love watching this side of Josh, it melts my heart.

On Sunday we took Sarah home after church to nap at our house while David and Traci went to church meetings. Josh sat right by Sarah the whole time she ate, feeding her and making her laugh. Sarah loves Josh too (although you can't tell from this picture). She always kicks her legs and waves when she sees Josh. So precious!!! Nothing else too exciting going on in the Morrill household. Lots of sickness, everyone has been sick except Parker (knock on wood). He took two days off last week to take care of Tyce and I. Friday night we had family movie night...

Tyce was SO cute during the movie, which surprised me that he could sit through a whole non cartoon movie! I think he just loved eating skittles and cuddling with his daddy.

We are looking forward to going to Utah in a month to see our families!!!

Jackson Thinks He Can Dance

2011-11-18T12:34:00.001-05:00

Just thought you would all like to check the moves of our talented son ;)

Grandma and Grandpa Barraclough Come to Visit!

2011-11-14T15:49:00.007-05:00

My parents flew in Wednesday night to stay with us for 5 days! We have all been so excited for them to come! As always, we were go go go the whole time and we are all absolutely exhausted from fun and lack of sleep!

Thursday morning when the boys woke up they went downstairs and woke up grandma and grandpa. My parents brought them each 3 surprises which they loved. We asked them to close their eyes to wait for their surprises and Tyce couldn't quite get it...Excited about his new caterpillar toy...LOVES this adorable ABC tower toy...Jack and his new book...Grandpa helping the twins with their new pirate set...
One of their surprises was that we were going to Great Wolf Lodge that day! It was a late birthday present for Tyce! Parker got the day off and we packed up and headed down to Williamsburg! My parents got us a two room suite which was so spacious! The boys were SO excited, they love staying in hotels. Here they are out on our balcony..

Getting ready to swim!

Tyce wasn't sure about everything for a while, but liked the kiddie pool and LOVED the hot tub...
I was happy to see how fast they picked up on their swimming that they had learned over the summer...Tycee wanted to take a break so grandma cuddled him in a towel for a while...
Of course when it was time to leave grandpa had to dress them up silly...

After dinner and storytime Parker took Tyce back to get him down because it was late and he was exhausted...When asked what their favorite thing at Great Wolf was, they both responded...COLORING!!! They had these cute easels set up with big pictures and crayons for the kids to color. We now have 8 of these, hanging proudly in their room! Grandma got them each a new book which they loved reading with her...Friday morning we got up, had a yummy breakfast, swam until 2, got showered, headed home, hit terrible traffic, and made it home JUST in time for the twins' friends' birthday party! Big day!

Saturday we went to the mall so my mom and I could do some shopping! Our wonderful husbands watched the kids while we shopped for about three to four hours. It was super fun shopping with my mom and, thanks to her, we got some great deals! I'm excited about all my new clothes! Now if only I could lose some weight and actually look good in them!!!

After the mall we stopped at Chick Fila for dinner...Daddy and Josh...

Saturday night we put the kids down and watched the Oregon Stanford game! Go Ducks!

Sunday after church we just relaxed. This has fully entertained Tyce over the last couple days...Joshy working on his school project...Jackson hard at work...Grandpa reading the newspaper (the only time all trip!!)...Daddy and Tyce watching "daddy's show" which is, of course, football...

Today my parents went and had lunch with Josh and Jackson at school then we dropped them off at the airport. I am, of course, so sad to see them go. They are so good with my kids and Parker and I love our late nights filled with food, games, and lots of laughs. The only good thing about them being gone? WE CAN ALL CATCH UP ON OUR SLEEP! The adults never went to bed before 1am and so we're all exhausted and getting a little sick. Hopefully we can catch up soon. Thanks mom and dad for a fantastic time!!!

Next thing to look forward to? GOING TO UTAH FOR CHRISTMAS! I'm so excited to see my fam and Parker's fam and...MY TWO NEW NEPHEWS!!! Kai and Luke, here comes Auntie Jenn!!!

Halloween!

2011-11-02T08:32:00.005-04:00

Monday night we went to my friend Kimberly's house for a Halloween party and trick or treating. The boys have been very much looking forward to this day!

Here they are before we left... Waiting at the train station to pick up daddy...

BFFs Tyce and Jake...Why was Josh pouting? Heck if I know! He was pretty grumpy trick or treating...The whole clan...Tyce got the hang of it real fast, he'd say "trick or treat, happy halloween, thank you!" at every door...Mommy and her boys...Our attempt to get a cute pic in front of the giant pumpkin...Tyce got a little tired towards the end and his pumpkin was pretty heavy...My kids totally wussed out about halfway through the neighborhood so we went back to Kimberly's house and handed out candy, which Jack loved...Josh, Brianna, and Jack...Kimberly and I...

I'm very glad that the boys didn't trick or treat any longer because, as is, we have SO much candy! And I'm at home with it all day! Ah tis the season right? We had a fun night, thanks for having us Kimberly!!!

In other news, MY PARENTS COME IN A WEEK!!! We're all so excited to see them!!!

Getting Away

2011-11-01T07:19:00.004-04:00

Friday night we went to dinner with our friends Troy and Denise to celebrate Parker's birthday. We went to a Japanese restaurant and the food was great as was the company. Of course they had to sing to Parker, but at least he got a free dessert out of it!

After dinner I surprised Parker and took him to a hotel instead of home! He was really excited to have a night to get away from everything. We stayed at the Hyatt in Fairfax and had a great time hot tubbing, watching football, relaxing, talking, etc. :) In the morning we slept in, got ready, went to a yummy breakfast, then headed home. It was a much needed night for both of us!

Where were my kids? Wonderful Traci took them overnight! It was their first sleepover at someone other than family's house. Although, I think Traci is very much like an aunt to them. Sounds like they had tons of fun. The twins didn't miss me at all, but Traci said when it was bedtime Tyce was a little sad asking for me. :( Here are some pics she sent me...

Running around outside...They made pizza...Getting ready to watch a movie! Her husband brought home a projector so they got to watch it on the wall which the boys thought was SO cool...Eating...Getting ready to go outside...
Walkin in the rain...Getting ready for bed...

The twins are still talking about the fun night they had with Traci and asking when they get to go back. I am so grateful for such a good friend who so willingly took my kids so Parker and I could get away. Thanks Traci for taking such good care of my boys!!

Next post: Halloween!!!

Field Day

2011-10-29T14:32:00.005-04:00

On Friday the boys had field day at school so I got a babysitter for Tyce and signed up to volunteer! It was COLD but so fun. Again, I was very impressed with the school. There were 8 stations, all very creative and fun. Everything was so organized and well done. I was that mom who was taking pictures of everything but the boys didn't seem to mind! When they first saw me they were SO excited. They even kissed me on the lips in front of their friends! Those days will never end right?!

Here they are doing the parachute, oh memories of Schirle Elementary School P.E....

At this station they had to get as many balls in their team's net as they could. At the end of each round they would count the balls in each net and the team with the most balls won. It was SO funny because after they would announce the winner, Josh would run over to that team and clap for himself as if he was on the team that won. Hahahaha...
At this station they had to draw a cougar paw (because their school is called Cougar Elementary) then they could go play on the playground. Jack was so cute on the playground. There was this little girl, Brooke, who was hiding under this ledge thing and looked sad. Jack walked over to her and I tried to listen in without him knowing. "Brookie, what's wrong?" "Those kids over there said they didn't want to play with me." Jackson walked over to a group of kids and I couldn't hear what he said to them. Then he walked back to Brooke and said, "I talked to them and they said they wanted to be your friend so let's go play!" Brooke looked SO happy and they all went to play. Too precious. I also saw at least three girls following Jackson around saying "I love you Jackson! You are cute Jackson!" Jack would roll his eyes and run away, hahahaha!They loved the pogo ball races...Josh was great at the shooting hoops station...

It was very interesting to watch them interact with their friends at school. They were rarely together. They don't line up together, they don't pick the same teams, and they don't play with the same friends. I'm glad they're not clingy and I know it's healthy but it's also a little sad! But their teacher said she'll catch them looking at eachother from across the room and smiling at eachother quite often. So cute. At the end when they were lining up to go back to the classroom all their classmates were telling me, "I'm Jackson and Josh's friend!" I'm glad they're so well liked and am so glad they love school.

Pumpkin Time!

2011-10-28T12:52:00.004-04:00

Sunday we carved and painted pumpkins! Here they are about to start... Deep in thought as to what design to do...

Josh's pumpkin...This was the first year Jack was "brave" and put his hands in to get the seeds out. Josh wouldn't do it!
Tyce was a PUNK for the first little bit (grandmas dont be fooled, I know he looks sad but he was being such a punk)...Then he cheered up when he got to paint his pumpkin...The finished products! They looked much better before they were painted but the kids love painting so we let them...

Now we're ready for Halloween!!!

Happy Birthday Parker!

2011-10-27T08:37:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was Parker's 32nd birthday! He had to work so I got up with him before he left and made cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate. When he got home from work we picked him up from the train and went to Pizza Hut with the kids because they got their Book Its and couldn't wait to get their free pizzas. After pizza we came home for presents and cake... The kids worked very hard on their cards for daddy. Jackson's writing is looking so good and he put so much thought into what he wanted to write and draw for daddy...

Josh did his a little faster but still was very excited to write what he loves about his daddy...
Tyce was so cute about making a card for daddy. "My draw circles, my name, and my hand." He got cute cards and money from my grandparents and parents...I got him shoes, not super exciting but he needed them and liked them!Parker loves red velvet cake but no one else in the fam does so he has an entire 9x13 cake to eat!

Tomorrow night we are going out to dinner with some friends, without the kids, so that will be a little more relaxing. :)

I love Parker so much and am so glad that he is mine. He is everything I want and need in a husband and best friend. He is loving, complimentary, patient, unselfish, energetic, good conversationalist, intelligent, humble, athletic, and gorgeous. What more could a girl want right? HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Sweet Jackson

2011-10-25T08:35:00.002-04:00

Jackson has always had a sweet, sensitive, and spiritual side of him. There have been many times where I feel the spirit in his presence. A couple weeks ago I started playing one of my favorite church songs, When He Calls My Name by Hilary Weeks. Every time I hear it it brings tears to my eyes. I left it playing on the computer while I went upstairs to change Tyce's diaper. When I came downstairs Jackson was sitting in the computer chair staring at the screen while that song played. He was completely calm and in his own world. I let the song finish then I asked him what he was doing. He turned to me and said, mommy for some reason I really like that song!

A week later I had that same song playing while I was making dinner. I forgot that it was still playing and we started to eat dinner. With all the noise in my house you could barely hear the music.

Jackson: "Everyone be quiet, I like this song!"
Parker had just taken Tyce upstairs because he was throwing a fit. Josh and I were very quiet while we listened to the entire song.
Me: "Jack do you know what that song is about?"
Jackson: "No?"
Me: "It's about when you die and meet the Savior in Heaven, he will call your name."
Jackson: "How do you know I'll go to Heaven mommy?"
Me: "If you live a good life and try your best to be good then you will honey."
Jackson: "But mommy, I've done some bad things that I don't want to tell you about."
Me: "Jack you can tell me anything, I always want you to be honest with me."
Jackson: "Well, one time I hit Joshy and said I didn't. And one time I broke Joshy's toy but said that Joshy did it."
Me: "Jackson thanks for being honest with mommy. Let's work on being more honest ok?"
Jackson: "Ok mommy. When I meet Jesus in Heaven, will you all be there too? Joshy, Daddy, Tyce, and you?"
Me: "Yes honey, we're all trying to live our lives so that we can be worthy of that blessing of an eternal family in Heaven."
Jackson had tears in his eyes and a calm I've never seen in his face. For about 30 seconds he sat there with tears in his eyes and the sweetest look on his face. The spirit was so strong in our dining room. After about 30 seconds he says, I have to go potty. Haha.

That was the first time I think he's really felt the spirit so strongly. I want him to always remember it so he cannot deny it. I think music touches him like it does me. I am so grateful he was sent to my home to give me those sweet and precious moments. I love you Jackson and will try harder to live my life so I can live forever with you!

Another cute Jack story, this was his morning prayer the other day:

"Please bless Joshy and I to find kids that don't have friends and be their friends and play with them. And please bless us to show the bad kids how to be good."

Hahaha, so cute!!! :)

Week With Dana

2011-10-23T17:20:00.006-04:00

My older sister Dana came to visit on Tuesday! I've been super excited for her to come because she's never been out here and also we've never really had time together without kids!

My boys don't know Dana very well, especially Tyce, but it sure didn't take them long to warm up to her!Friday Parker took the day off to watch the kids and Dana and I went to DC for the day! It was a fun and exhausting day! We left at 8am and got home at 8pm with sore feet!

We went to visit Obama but he was busy...Saturday we went to the gym halloween party, then went bowling!Ironman bowling...Bumble Bee bowling...My cute boys, who knows what Tyce is looking at...Tyce was so cute clapping and cheering for everyone...My cute sis bowling...Why do we both look so tired? Haha...An attempt at a family picture, again, where is Tyce looking??After bowling we went out to lunch, home for naps, then off to the ward halloween party! They got their face painted by the young women...The only picture we got of them walking across the stage for the costume parade. Tyce won the cutest kid costume award!Cutest cowboy I've ever seen!Auntie Dana with her cute nephews!

It was so fun having her here. We stayed up late every night chatting, laughing, and watching family home videos. The only reason I'm glad she's gone is so that I can finally get caught up on my sleep! Thanks so much for coming sis!!! Next visitors, my parents in a couple weeks! Yay!!!

Jackson's Pics

2011-10-20T08:42:00.004-04:00

Here are Jackson's pictures! I love how they captured his natural smile...

Tyce's Pics

2011-10-18T08:04:00.004-04:00

Here are Tyce's cute pictures! I was surprised at how cooperative he was! His tongue is out in about half the pictures, which is so him!

Josh's Pics

2011-10-16T17:49:00.002-04:00

Here are some of Joshy's pictures. I love his dimples!!!

Picture Time!

2011-10-15T23:02:00.004-04:00

We took the boys to get their pictures taken today since we haven't done professional pictures since Tyce was one month old. They were surprisingly very cooperative and excited. We got tons of cute pictures and it was so hard to choose just a couple poses. I decided to post the ones of them together in this post then I'll do their individual ones next. These are straight from the CD so they haven't been cropped or edited or anything yet...

Best buds... We got this one in black and white and it looks so cute...

Parker got this one for his office...
This is probably my favorite. Yes Tyce's tongue is out a little bit but, hey, that's him!At the end she tried getting a pic of all of them jumping in the air at the same time. Haha it was hilarious because they couldn't all get the timing together...

Individual pics to come!!!

Girls Night Out

2011-10-13T20:34:00.003-04:00

A couple nights ago Kimberly and I had a fun girls night out complete with a yummy dinner, shoe shopping, ice cream, and LOTS of chatting! Her and I spend a lot of time together yet never seem to run out of stuff to talk about. In fact, we find it hard to fit it all in! Kimberly's husband is overseas so wonderful Parker watched not only our kids but also hers! Our kids are all great friends and play together so well. Parker texted me some pics throughout the night so here they are...

Jake and Tyce in Tyce's bed...

Apparently Tyce was copying Jake at dinner...The caption on this text was, "sorry I didn't realize they would paint their faces with cookies"Jake and Tyce building towers...Josh is always so good with younger kids...

Parker said that aside from the four poopy diapers, a couple little fights, and some messes, it wasn't that bad and he even said he would do it again! Thanks to my wonderful husband for being so great and thanks for my wonderful friend for a fun night!!! :)

Lunch with Josh and Jackson

2011-10-10T15:25:00.003-04:00

Since Parker has today off of work we decided to go have lunch with our kindergartners at school! Wonderful Traci watched Tyce for us. They were really excited to see us, but still had to be cool in front of their friends. They haven't liked doing hot lunch so I thought if Parker and I had it with them, they would have a change of opinion. WELL...since I haven't been feeling well the very sight of the school lunch almost made me throw up. But Parker was hungry so he grabbed a tray. After seeing the school lunch I understood why they want me to make them lunches, haha.

Here we are at the guest table where you get to sit if you have someone there to eat with you... Jack was like, mom really? More pictures? Haha...

Look at these big boys going to throw their stuff away...Waiting in line to go back to class...

While I am not impressed by the school lunch I am very impressed with the school. There are 12 kindergarten classes and they have everything so scheduled and organized it works like clock work. I love it! It was so fun watching them with their friends and be so excited that we were there with them. Jack kept asking me what I was doing after lunch, I think he wanted me to stay. I love my kindergartners!!!

Pajama Day!

2011-10-06T08:34:00.005-04:00

Today was pajama day at kindergarten and Jackson and Josh have been extremely excited about it. They've been trying to decide which jammies to wear for a long time. They finally picked some, despite me trying to sway them to the ones I think are cutest, and woke up super excited. I figured I could do a blog about how mornings are now that the boys are in school. Not because it's super interesting but because these are times I want to remember.

The twins' alarm goes off at 6:55am, most of the time it's Jack who jumps out of bed and turns it off. Then he comes into my room, crawls into bed with me, and we cuddle until about 7. Then we go wake up Josh (which is sometimes easy and sometimes not). Tyce either wakes up at 5am or 7am and he reads books in Jack and Josh's room while they get dressed. Occasionally there are fits about what to wear, what matches, whether or not they want to match eachother, if they're going to be cold or hot, etc. But they're dressed by 7:10. Then we head downstairs for breakfast and I set the timer, they have to be done eating by 7:25... Tyce eats a banana and juice while the twins eat, he eats his oatmeal when we get back from the bus stop...While they're eating breakfast I finish putting their lunches together (I make them the night before) and remind them to hurry and eat (my kids eat SO slow!)

At 7:25 we go upstairs to brush teeth, wash faces and hands, and put lotion on their faces...
Then we head out the door around 7:30 or 7:35...Tyce always wears his jammies and cowboy boots to the bus stop, he's a real hit with all the other kids and parents at the bus stop...Josh waiting at the bus stop (it's his snack day today so he had a bag of peach cups for the class). Josh always runs to the line and rarely gives me hugs or kisses before he leaves. If I'm lucky he'll wave to me...Jack waiting at the bus stop. He's so cute at the bus stop because he always gives me a hug and a kiss before he goes...Not the best picture because the windows are super tinted but Jack is in front of Josh and they're both by the window. Recently they haven't been sitting together on the bus. I asked them why and Josh said "well because if I always sit by Jack then I'll never make new friends mommy!" Jackson said, "well how about this Josh, we'll do a pattern, you sit by me, you don't sit by me, you sit by me, you don't sit by me." SO cute! I'll admit, it's hard as a mommy of twins to see them not sitting by eachother. I know it's healthy, I know it's good, I know all that. But still, I want them to always be side by side their whole lives! Is that so much to ask?! :) Then Tyce and I come home and he eats his oatmeal while we talk at the table. He wanted me to take pictures of him and his "biaper and boots."
After he eats he watches a show (he never lasts longer than 15 minutes watching TV) and plays with his toys while I eat, pay bills, check my email, do my blog, etc. Around 9:30 we head to the gym! That's how mornings go in the Morrill household!!!

Leah and Sarah

2011-09-28T09:14:00.004-04:00

About 9 months ago my good friend Traci went back to work part time from home. She asked if I could babysit her girls two days a week from about 9am to 4pm. I didn't even have to think about it, I was super excited. Leah is 7 months older than Tyce, but smaller than Tyce, and she is very advanced for her age. She is potty trained and talks very well. Her and Tyce get along so well. They laugh, play, and fight much like siblings. Leah is very obedient to me and rarely cries or acts up. She also naps about 2 hours a day which is great! Here they are playing under the desk while I do my blog... I recently started watching Sarah, who is 13 months. When she was younger Traci was able to work with her home but now that she is older, louder, and more active she sends her over here. She is such a good baby. She entertains herself, she's happy, and she's a good sleeper. She's close to walking too! Here's my attempt to get a picture of all three of them... Sarah really does love Tyce, you just can't tell in this picture!
It's been such a blessing having these girls. I love having them in my home and Tyce loves having playmates. Leah and Sarah really love me which makes me feel so good. Leah calls me Auntie Jenn, which I love, and Sarah loves to cuddle on me. Also, the money has been a huge blessing because it has given us the ability to fly home to see family a couple times a year. Probably my favorite part though is when Traci comes over to pick up the girls and stays and chats for a while. :) We love you Leah and Sarah!!!

Tyce and Jake, Best Friends

2011-09-26T16:57:00.003-04:00

Tyce is so lucky to have his best friend Jake. He is 7 months older than Tyce but they are the same size and get along great! They spend every day together, whether it's at the gym, park, mall, Chick-Fila, or at their houses. They are hilarious together and Kimberly and I laugh so hard watching them interact.

Here they are trying on matching sweaters at Children's Place. Kimberly wanted to get one for Jake so Tyce, of course, had to try on the same one... Today at the park they both got their shirts a little bit wet and wanted them off SO we had white trash boys walking around shirtless...

Maverick and Goose in their cool glasses...They love to pretend to work out at the gym...Back to the park, after we took their shirts off they were fascinated with eachother's belly buttons...Jake sometimes poops in the potty and Tyce loves to watch him, haha so gross...Jakey and Tycee are such good friends and it's so fun to watch them play. It works out great that they play so well together because Kimberly and I never run out of things to talk about while they play! We love you Jakey!

Goodbye Crib!

2011-09-19T08:52:00.004-04:00

Since Tyce keeps crawling out of his crib we decided to get him out of it before he hurts himself. The Ellsworths were nice enough to let us borrow their toddler bed for a year or so until they need it back for their baby, which is perfect because they we'll buy him a twin bed! Tyce was SO excited when we told him about his new bed, "my BEEG BOY BED!"

I had to get a pic of him in his crib one last time...He climbed right in...We told the boys they cannnot jump or play in Tyce's bed because it's not ours and it's not as sturdy as the crib was. Josh asked if they could sit in it just once for a picture for my blog, haha, he knows how to get his way doesn't he?Then Parker and Josh got to work taking the crib down. I got teary eyed, which surprised me. It will likely be the last time Parker takes down a crib. I think I'm done having kids, which rarely makes me sad, but things like this are still a little hard. Josh was such a good helper...After the bed was set up we got to work on Jackson and Josh's first school project! And so it begins! They had to decorate reading boxes that they will put little books in that they make throughout the year. Josh's finished product (all I did was his name, can you tell? haha!)Jack let me help a little more...Then it was bedtime. At first Tyce was super excited to sleep in his bed...Then he was not so sure..Then he was like no way am I laying down...After about half an hour of him crying, laughing, singing, and talking to himself he fell asleep...This morning he helped me make his bed...Then climbed on and said, "no night night mommy, take picture!" Hahaha, so I did...

Another milestone has come and gone. Time really does seem to be flying by. Tyce is at a difficult age. He is up early, whiney, into everything, terrible eater, etc. I don't know how I ever did TWO two year olds! Maybe the twins weren't this difficult? Or maybe I just put it out of my mind? But I also love how he is talking and learning. He can be very sweet and funny. He loves being home with mommy and getting all the attention. Next milestone will be potty training! But not for a while, I'm in no hurry. :)

Lion King!

2011-09-17T17:32:00.002-04:00

Today I took the twins to watch Lion King in the theaters. They have been SO excited for it to come out. They first saw the movie at my parent's house and have loved it ever since. We can't wait for it to come out on DVD so we can watch it again. I've always loved that movie and it brought back lots of memories watching it.

Me and my adorable sons before the movie started... Jackson ready for it to start!

Josh was like, hurry and take the picture so I can have some popcorn...

Brody

2011-09-15T16:14:00.004-04:00

In December 2003, our first Christmas as a married couple, Parker surprised me with this guy...After about three days (no exaggeration) at the Humane Society Parker finally selected this cat, who we named Brody. It was a complete surprise and shock to me because Parker never liked cats and never wanted cats. He did it just for me. However, it took less than 24 hours before he was as in love with Brody as I was. He got really sick a few days after Christmas, we took him to the vet and the vet suggested we put him to sleep. We were devastated. We decided to wait until we got to Utah to see if he got better. We brought him to a vet in Utah who gave him a pill, and he's been fine ever since. (Needless to say, we do NOT like that Salem vet!)

Brody is the perfect cat. He is friendly, obedient, social, loving, and playful. He has a great personality. He only drinks water out of Parker's bathroom sink and he doesn't just drink it from the faucet, he lets it drip down his paw then licks it from there. He can open doors and is great on his back legs. He loves kids and is extremely patient with them as they chase him, lay on him, try to "ride him," etc. He never bites or scratches. When we lived in Neola he was lost for 4 days, somehow he survived which was impressive seeing as he was in the country, with lots of wild animals and mean people who like to shoot cats, and his front paws are declawed. He is a very resilient cat, he has moved to Utah, to Oregon, back to Utah, to Virginia, back to Utah, and back to Virginia. He rides in the Uhaul with Parker and is a great road trip companion.

We've had Brody for 8 years and he is certainly part of our family. The boys adore him and Parker and I love him so much. We hope for lots more time with our sweet cat!

September 11, 2001

2011-09-11T16:43:00.003-04:00

I have been reflecting today on the events that took place 10 years ago today. I thought I should do a post about where I was on that day and the thoughts I had so that I can share them with my children when they are older and ask questions about what happened.

I woke up that morning to the phone ringing in my college apartment at BYU. I was annoyed because my alarm hadn't gone off yet and I wanted to sleep a little longer. Since my room was the closest to the phone I got up and got it. It was one of my roomate's moms, telling me to wake everyone up and turn the TV on. I remember turning it on and not really realizing what was going on. It hardly seemed real that THIS would happen in AMERICA! I remember huddling so close with my 5 roomates, Maren, Ruth, Jami, Loni, and Carley who I hadn't known for more than a few weeks. We were all scared and confused. As we got more information about the 2 planes, the Pentagon, and the plane that landed in PA my feelings changed from confusion to anger to sadness. It was also scary to me because I had gone to New York in the Spring of 2000 with the Sprague Concert Choir and we all stayed at the Marriot World Trade Center, which was suddenly gone. I couldn't help but think of us all being in there when that happened.
I went to class, not knowing what else to do, but my teacher sent us all home and asked us to spend that hour talking to our families. I did just that. I came home and called my parents. I remember wishing so bad I could be with them, in my dad's arms. Even though I was safe in Utah and they were safe in Oregon, it still scared me to be so far away from them. It was a surreal day. Over the next few days, weeks, and months as the death toll climbed and we learned more about the people behind the terrorist attacks it became more real. It seemed that, even walking around BYU campus (probably one of the safest places on earth) that everyone was walking with caution and fear.

10 years later, life has changed for everyone. I, thankfully, did not lose anyone on September 11th but my heart aches for those that did. But because of that one day, Americans now have a sense of vulnerability that my generation had never before experienced. I am frequently reminded of what the terrorists took from our country as I stand in the never failing long lines at airport security. I hate that we live in fear now. I hate that a little part of me is nervous every time Parker gets on the train to go to work, just blocks from the U.S. Capitol building. In some ways, I feel like they have won. However, as I watch many programs on TV today of the ways that America has triumphed I am proud, once again, to be an American. Ground Zero is a beautiful sacred place and the Pentagon memorial is beautiful as well. Americans can stand together and say We Will Not Forget.

Fun Day!

2011-09-09T20:23:00.004-04:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, Tuesday after we went to kindergarten with Jackson and Josh we decided to take them to Chuck E Cheese. We would have preferred to go to a park but it was pouring down rain (for like the 5th day in a row!). It was a great day to go because all the other kids were in school! That place is hectic and crazy when it's crowded but not too bad when there's only a few kids there. They love it there and had tons of fun... I love this picture because EVERY time Jack got a ticket, even just one, he would run over and tell me. Josh, on the other hand, would get ten tickets and not even say a word. That is evident of their personalities. Jackson gets so proud when he accomplishes something, big or small. Josh just shrugs it off like it's no big deal.

Yes, we even ate lunch there...They LOVE dancing in front of the TV...Then we (ok sweet tooth Jenn) decided to go to Dairy Queen since it's totally on the way home! :) I think I'm the only one who finished my ice cream. Jackson never eats more than a few bites of ice cream because it's cold and messy, two things he hates.We had such a fun day with our big kindergartners. A huge thank you to my friend Kimberly for watching Tyce all day so we could give Josh and Jack our full attention.

Speaking of kindergarten...it's been an interesting adjustment for all of us. We're all getting up earlier but they haven't quite gotten used to going to bed earlier! It will take time. How do I feel about them being gone all day? I miss them. I miss hearing their voices. I miss their hugs and laughs. I miss them playing so cute with Tyce. I worry about them, what they're doing, if they're safe, things they may hear or see. I look forward to 3:30 and love seeing them walk off the bus back into my arms, where they belong. They come home excited and happy, not as tired as I expected. Although yesterday Josh did fall asleep on the bus on the way home! The best part has been how excited they are to see and play with Tyce. They all play so cute for at least an hour when they get home, then they start getting hungry and tired. Yesterday they asked if they could watch a show while I made dinner, I said sure since they hadn't watched tv all day! I looked over and saw this... SO cute! Of course, Tyce watched 2 minutes then was done but he wanted to be just like his brothers.

In other news, my wonderful husband made me us a yummy dinner tonight. Why is this blog worthy? Two reasons: 1) He cooks about twice a year 2) He was up late last night, worked all day today, made a yummy dinner, did all the dishes, scrubbed chocolate off the carpets, wrestled the boys, threw them around, played tag with them, brushed their teeth, and is now reading them stories in bed. I can see the exhaustion in his eyes yet he continues. He is a very unselfish man and for that I am grateful. "Don't take pictures of me cooking!" :)

I was told by a friend at the gym today that "I live a very blessed life." She's right, and I needed that reminder. My life is not perfect, but it is wonderful. I love my husband and my kids, and they love me. What more could a girl want???

Kindergarten!!!

2011-09-07T16:42:00.006-04:00

Yes, my twins are in kindergarten. My twins that were 9 weeks preemie, 3 pounds, so tiny and fragile...they're now leaving me for 8 hours a day to go off to school. I cannot believe the time has come. I haven't really been looking forward to it, I love having them home with me. But they were ready and very very excited.

We decided to start a family tradition of rootbeer floats the night before the first day of school. Parker also gave them each a father's blessing which made me cry for about 2 hours. Here they are eating their floats...Our school district did something kind of unique that I LOVED. On the first day of school, moms and dads got to come on the bus with the kindergartners, hang out in the classroom for an hour, have cookies and milk, then take the bus home together. Parker took the day off and my friend Kimberly watched Tyce so we were able to really focus on Jackson and Josh. Here they are before we dropped off Tyce and walked to the bus stop...

Best buds ready to head off to school!My adorable blondie...My sweet dimples...Waiting for the bus, I was bummed it was raining but the boys were SO excited to use their new umbrellas...Parker and I haven't been on a school bus since high school sports, it was so weird...He was so precious on the bus...Daddy and Jackson sorting through his supplies...My kindergartners!!!Jackson with his tray of cookies and milk...Josh was so careful carrying his tray, so cute...Working on a puzzle with their teacher, Mrs. Fletcher...Cute guys in front of the classroom...After we got home from school we took the twins to Chuck E Cheese and Dairy Queen, yes we totally spoiled them but it's our last day to do so for a while! I will post cute pics of that in the next post.

So today was the first day of school for them to go alone. It was hard to see them go but comforting to know what awaits them at school and also comforting to know they have eachother, they will never be alone. Here they are climbing onto the bus...Tyce was so cute waving goodbye to them. "Jack Josh go bus, my go back home, have oatmeal, go to playplace, see Akey (his best friend Jake)." Haha, so cute! Then I dropped Parker off at the train station and headed home! While I did dishes Tyce entertained himself builing this...Today went pretty fast because I had Leah and Sarah so I didn't have too much time to think about how much I missed my boys. But 3:30 could not come fast enough! Here they are getting off the bus...

They told me they had a good day and made a friend named Brooke. They are definitely tired. They came home and watched half an hour of cartoons, played trucks, rode their bikes, now we're going to do dinner and bedtime. I am so proud of them and love watching my babies grow up into strong, healthy, happy, smart, loving boys!

Cell Phone Pic Dump

2011-09-06T18:30:00.007-04:00

So my phone was getting full of pics so I decided to do a blog post with all my cute ones. Sorry for my family who have probably already seen most of these, but I want them for my blog book!

A fun day at the park... "Mommy take a picture and send it to the Grandma in Oregon!"

Cute cousins when we were in Utah...When we were in Oregon my mom and I went to the new Babies R Us to get my little sister's baby shower gift and since it was opening day they had lots of visitors!What a strong daddy!Leah and Tyce love to play shopping carts together...Movie night!Tyce thinks he is ready to go potty on the toilet, but he has yet to ever go. It is SUCH a pain because he'll go in to the bathroom, take off his diaper, pretend to go, throw a wad of kleenex in the toilet, flush, wash his hands, then come out so proud and say I WENT POTTY! Haha, cute punk!Cute guys waiting for daddy to cut their hair!Jackson loves to dress up like daddy...We got this cute red chair and stuffed horse from our friends that were moving...Chick Fila family night! They had free water proof glitter tatoos! It took 2 weeks to get them off!Hahaha, one night we were having spaghetti for dinner and Tyce somehow fell forward, flat into his plate of spaghetti!This was the day Hurricane Irene was supposed to hit us. It was humid enough that, despite the rain, it was pretty warm...Jackson has been having severe stomach aches and head aches so we spent 4 hours one day at the pediatrician, hospital, and lab. Here he is waiting for his sinus, chest, and abdominal x-rays. The techs said he was SO good, SO still, SO cooperative, and SO cute! I was so proud! :)Here he is at the lab waiting to get his blood drawn...Jackson was SO still and didn't cry! He loved watching his blood come out. I couldn't believe how brave he was! The interesting thing was Josh asked me if he could wait in the waiting room because "mommy, I do NOT want to watch this!" I don't know if he has a weak stomach or was worried about Jackson, but it was cute. That night his stomach got pretty bad (his face breaks my heart), here we are cuddling...This is Tyce's new silly face, I love it...Sunday we headed over to the park to play baseball, football, and soccer...My adorable sweaty boys!Monday we went to Walmart to get stuff for school lunches. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts on the way out...

Next post: FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN!!! Let me just say...adorable!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-08-29T21:22:00.005-04:00

On Sunday I turned 28! I woke up to these balloons that the boys bought with their own money! So sweet... After church we came home and opened presents. Jack and Josh got me a super cute card and one of my favorite candies!I got a sweet card from my in laws with some money to go shopping! Yay!And another sweet card from my parents with some money to go shopping! :)My little sis sent me this cute long sleeve BYU t-shirt that I'm wearing. I love it! Parker got me exactly what I asked for...A picture of the Portland Temple, where we were married! I love it and love looking at it everyday! It reminds me that I have an eternal marriage and need to work every day to be worthy of that. After presents I took a 2 hour nap then Parker took the boys outside to play while I made dinner. While I was cutting up chicken my sweet visiting teacher, Rebecca Losee, walked in with this cake! She said since I lived in a house full of boys I would never get a cake like this, and she's right! It was so cute and it meant so much to me that she put this much time into something for me...Once dinner was in the oven I went outside to join in the fun. It was such a nice day outside! Parker and the boys were all playing catch...Jackson was super giggly and rolling on the grass laughing...Could he be any cuter?I love my boys!!!My favorite birthday present was...JOSH LEARNED TO RIDE HIS BIKE WITHOUT TRAINING WHEELS!!! This was the first time he'd ever tried and it took him about half an hour before he was cruising all around the neighborhood. I was so proud of him! 5 has been a big age (and he's only been 5 for 2 months!). He's learned to swim, pump on the swings, and ride his bike! I wish they'd stop growing up though, it's just all happening too fast. Jackson also tried and did well, but we'll keep working on it! After bike riding we came inside and had cake! Parker owes Rebecca a big thank you for saving his butt! He had no cake! Haha.
I had a great birthday. I love getting calls and texts all day. I love having money now to go shopping! I love how sweet my boys were to me. Tyce sang "happy birthday to mommy" all day! I love that Parker took care of the boys so I could just relax for a day! He knows that birthdays were always special in my house growing up and that's what I expect from him (not expensive, but special). He ended the night by giving me a nice long back scratch, my favorite thing to fall asleep to! :) We were supposed to go out to eat Saturday night to celebrate but, due to the hurricane, Cheesecake Factory closed. So we're going to go out this weekend instead! Thanks for all the birthday wishes everyone! Here's to another great year in my 20s! :)

Morrill Family Pictures

2011-08-27T16:44:00.002-04:00

When we were in Utah this summer we attempted to get an updated Morrill family picture. It was the first time in a long time that the whole family was together so we wanted to take advantage of it! We didn't hire anyone, we just set up a camera and took about 10 pictures hoping one would be perfect. Well, with Cole, Kate, and Tyce being young and wiggly these are the best three...

For those of you who aren't familiar with Parker's family: from the left, Walt, Christine (with baby Kai in her tummy!), me, Tyce, Parker, Shane, Tegan, Mom, Bart, Tyler, Kate, Jackie, Cole, Jackson, and Josh!

I love my in laws so much!!!

Camping!

2011-08-27T11:50:00.002-04:00

Last night we had our first family camping trip. Yes, I, Jenn Barraclough Morrill, voluntarily went camping. Parker has taken the twins camping a couple times but Tyce and I have always stayed home. This time I thought it would be fun to all go. Heat, bugs, and dirt...my three least favorite things! But being with my husband and my boys who were so excited made it all worth it. We got up there later than planned so it got dark fast.

Jack and Josh each found these cute caterpillars and carried them around as pets for a while. Unfortunately, daddy ended up stepping on Josh's and got caterpillar blood and guts all over. Josh handled it surprisingly well! Good thing I took a pic before the massacre... Parker got frustrated setting up the tent by himself. I told him he can blame my dad for never teaching me how to do it!

Once we finally got everything set up we had some hot dogs and smores!They were all super excited to sleep in the tent...It was SO hot and humid! It was 80 degrees with 90% humidity. I was miserable. The boys were pretty hot and sticky too so we ended up sleeping near naked. Jack and Tyce fell asleep so quick. I was surprised at Tyce. I thought for sure he'd cry, whine, wiggle, etc. He's never slept anywhere but a crib so I didn't know how he would do in a tent and on the floor. He was such an angel!Night owl Josh stayed up to finish watching his movie (yes we brought our portable DVD player camping)...Parker and I finally fell asleep around midnight. At 2am Jackson woke up sobbing saying his head hurt. For an hour we tried to calm him, rub his head, distract him with a movie, etc but nothing was working. We debated splitting up and one of us taking him home, giving him medicine, then coming back in the morning to get the rest of them. But they were evacuating the campground in the morning because of the hurricane so we thought we'd better all go. So at 3am we loaded the kids up in the car, packed everything up in the dark, and headed home. All the side exits were closed so we had to go the long way and didn't get home until 4:30. We gave the boys a quick shower (no way could I let them get in their beds being so dirty and sweaty and sticky!) then laid them down. Parker and I unpacked the car and showered and got to bed about 5:15am. The kids slept till 9am and woke up happy! We had promised them IHOP for breakfast after camping so we headed over there...

It was definitely an adventure! I really would've had fun if it wasn't so dang hot and humid. Virginia summers are miserable, that's all there is to it. We so miss the west where it actually COOLS DOWN at night! But we made the most of it and the boys had fun and that's what matters.

The boys are now outside in their swim suits running around in the rain. We're supposed to get some strong winds and rain from the hurricane today/tonight but I'm hoping Parker and I can still go out tonight for my birthday!

Josh and Jackson's "Big Job"

2011-08-22T17:59:00.004-04:00

My friend Traci went out of town for a week and had the great idea of giving Josh and Jack the job of watering her plants every day. They were really excited about it and took it very seriously. They reminded me every day to go to her house and they got sad the day it rained and I said we didn't need to water the plants. Traci told them she would pay them each $5 and they were super excited about that!

Here's Josh concentrating on watering the grass (yes, he likes to water plants in his transformer costume)... Here's Jackson watering the flowers (yes, in cowboy boots)...

Now onto the deck...Tyce loved his green bucket and loved helping...My hard workin boys!Today Traci came over and paid them! "Mommy $5 is a lot of things at the dollar store!" And yes they're in Halloween costumes, we were trying stuff on to see what fits for this year...It was cute to see them doing their "big job." Tonight we're going to do a family home evening lesson about tithing and talk to them about the money they earned and what they should do with it. Thanks Traci for giving them this opportunity to work and learn!

On Sunday Tyce was a superhero cowboy with his la la tied on as a cape and his ever favorite cowboy boots...If you look hard you can spot a cute boy!

Shelly the Turtle

2011-08-18T08:48:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday Kimberly and I took the kids to the park to play. As always, while Jake and Tyce played on the toys, the older ones took off into "the jungle." Which, in reality, is barely a small forest. Anyways, after a while they ran out telling us they found a turtle! They were so excited. Josh was the only one brave enough to hold it... Then they made this cute bed for him...

They also put him in the drinking fountain to "give him a bath and give him a drink." It was so fun to watch their excitement over taking care of something. They were so careful with him and were so sad to leave him! Josh named him Shelly, so maybe it's a girl? Not sure how to tell if a turtle is a boy or girl, haha. Anyways, we're going back there today and they're hoping to see it still there.

Week with Barracloughs Part 3

2011-08-16T07:45:00.003-04:00

We spent a day at the beach and the boys were so excited! They had never been to the Oregon coast before. When we first got there it was overcast and chilly. However, after about an hour it really cleared up!

Parker and I love the Oregon coast, it's one of our favorite places... I was proud of my brave boys! The water is ICE cold!

Cuties...Lindsay, me, and my mom...My adorable parents...Could I have any cuter boys???Tyce loved the sand...My dad playing football...An attempt at a family picture, but it was so bright we all had to squint...How gorgeous is this?Jack and Josh probably could've played in here the entire day...

We left the beach around 5 and went to Kylos for a YUMMY dinner, my halibut was to die for. It was a great day! It was a great trip! I miss everyone already but look forward to seeing everyone in December. Love you all!

Week With Barracloughs Part 2

2011-08-12T19:49:00.006-04:00

Tuesday night Lindsay and Jason flew in and Parker and I drove up to pick them up and go out to dinner. It was exciting to see my little sis prego! We went to Claim Jumper and, aside from being freezing and it taking forever to get a waiter, it was SO yummy and SO fun! I so wish we lived closer to them because the four of us have lots of fun together.

We spent two days water-skiing which was super fun. The boys had been looking forward to it for a long time. Tyce is still talking about "pam pa's big boat." We had great weather and had the lake pretty much to ourselves (except the sailboat with the topless girl of course).

They loved "driving crazy"...

Parker and I had super fun tube rides, each got dumped about 5 times...Look at this cute blondie...
How cute are my sun kissed kids!?Cute guys getting to ready to tube with daddy...Then they got brave and went by themselves...Taking a break for lunch on the dock...Josh loved swimming in the lake...Cute guy...These guys had so much fun!Parker had a nice ski...Thursday night the girls went back to Salem for Lindsay's baby shower and Parker, my dad, Jackson, and Josh spent the night on the boat. Parker and my dad said they were super cute and had tons of fun.

There are few things I enjoy more than being on the lake with my family. Sun, water, good food, and good company-what more could I ask for? :) One more post to come!!!

Week with Barracloughs Part 1

2011-08-11T09:17:00.009-04:00

We rented a car in Salt Lake and drove to Oregon. We got there at 4am on Friday morning. The kids were perfect in the car. Parker got really tired towards the end of the drive but we made it! It felt so good to be home!

We went to Riverfront Park and let the kids play. We saw this guy ride up on a bike with all sorts of homemade gadgets. Then he pulls out his bubble wand and the kids got SO excited! He had lots of wands for each of the kids to play with and had lots of bubbles. It was so sweet!

Of course we had to take the kids on the carousel...

My parent's next door neighbor (who the boys don't know) offered to take the boys to the pool in his golf cart. I thought they would be shy but they hopped on there super excited!

Tyce was excited to see the pink stroller... Daddy took them for a wagon ride... Saturday was my 10 year high school reunion. It was a pretty pathetic turnout but I did get to spend lots of time with two of my favorite girls, Lindsay and Jo...We spent a day at the pool and Josh went off a diving board for the first time. He did great! He did flips and then swam to the side by himself in 14 feet water! I was so proud of my little fish! More posts to come! Beach trip and waterskiing trips!

Tyce is 2!!!

2011-08-08T21:26:00.005-04:00

Last Sunday was Tyce's 2nd birthday! We got invited to a BBQ at the Marley's (family friends for a long time) house so we decided to just celebrate there! Tyce was cute talking about his birthday, singing happy birthday to himself, practicing blowing out his candles, and talking about his presents.

Cute family pic...Jackson and Josh had lots of fun with these two cute girls. "I like Jessie and Josh likes Brooklyn." Hahaha...

Mitch and Crystal, Parker and I eating dinner...Tyce loved this "BLUE SWING"...Tyce kinda confused as everyone sings to him...Happy after he blew his candles out...Opening his presentsl (all two of them!)...We love our Tycee!

It was a fun night and we appreciated the Marley's letting us celebrate there. Tyce is becoming SUCH a cutie pie! I love this age when they can finally start communicating. He is talking so well, he repeats everything we say. My favorite phrase of his is, "I LOVE YOU MUCH!" He said that to my mom and dad a lot in Oregon and they loved it. He is becoming happier and more independent. He is still a great sleeper and terrible eater. He is pretty big for his age so I'm interested to see what his stats are when he goes in for his 2 year check on Friday. He loves his brothers and always wants to do what they're doing. He loves his mommy and daddy and whenever I'm not smiling or talking he asks, "mommy sad?" then he gives me loves. I'm sad he's growing up so fast but I also look forward to all that age 2 has to offer! I LOVE YOU TYCE!!!

Week With Morrills Part 2

2011-08-07T12:39:00.008-04:00

Ok time for the second half of our week in Utah with Morrills! We drove out to Neola on Monday, the boys were so excited to go to Grandma's "real" house (after being in a Park City condo). It is a little boys paradise out there and it was so fun to watch them play outside all week.

Painting rocks with Auntie Tegan... Tyce LOVED painting rocks and was so proud of his finished product...

Joshy painting his rocks...Josh LOVED their dogs...Josh, Cole, and Jackson getting ready to ride the horses...This is how Parker spent almost an entire day. He found some boxes of old stuff in the shed he wanted to go through...Grandma reading stories to her adorable grandsons...Tegan taking the boys for a ride on the 4 wheeler...Throwing rocks in the pond (Jackson was pouting because he didn't want his picture taken)...Tyce was in heaven being outside...Then grandma remembered she had bought helmets for the boys to ride the 4 wheeler...Tyce thought he was so cool wearing these Mr. Potato Head glasses...We went up to the cabin and the boys had fun throwing rocks. It looks like Tegan is a little worried about Cole's aim here! Haha...Bike riding...Jackson took this picture, actually turned out pretty cute...Joshy and Grandma...Tyce wanting to roast marshmallows...My cute sisters in law...My honey and me...Grandma snuggling her Tyce...Parker and his dad getting the fishing poles ready...We had a dance session and Josh for sure had the best moves...My men off to go fishing...Cute Cole getting ready to fish...Patiently waiting for daddy...Uncle Shane helped Jackson fish...After fishing we headed back to the cabin for smores...We had so much fun with Parker's family. As to be expected, the week flew by and we were not ready to leave them. I love seeing how happy my kids are when they are surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who love them so much. They are so lucky to have so much love in their lives, even if we don't get to see them as much as we'd like. Thanks so much for having us Morrills!!! We love you and miss you!!!

We left Thursday afternoon to drive to Oregon. We stopped in Boise and had dinner with my dear friend Tara, who I've known almost my whole life. They made us a yummy dinner, we let the kids play while the adults talked, then we were back on the road. Here are the kids eating their dinner...

The kids were ANGELS on the drive to Oregon, I couldn't believe it. We got to Oregon about 4am and then had a fun week with my family! More posts to come!

Lindsay's Baby Shower

2011-08-05T01:18:00.003-04:00

So this is out of order because I still have to blog about Utah, my high school reunion, and our week in Oregon but I wanted to get my sister's pictures off her camera before we go home so here we go! Tonight was my little sister's baby shower! I still can't believe she's going to have a baby. She isn't due until early December but her best friend Nicole threw her a shower while she was here so all her friends here could come.

Nicole and Linds...
Lori, Mom, and Myrna...

Lindsay's friends Nicole, Megan, and Danielle...
Lindsay opening her gifts...
Hannah, Shawnee, Ketti, and Lindsay...
Linds and I...

Linds and Nicole...
My grandma, mom, Lindsay, and I...
Could this be any cuter? Tyce loves his Auntie Lindsay!
It was a really fun night. I know Lindsay will be such a great mom and I just wish I could be there for her when he comes. We go back to Virginia Saturday morning so I'll catch up on the rest of my blog when I get back!

Sunday

2011-07-29T19:55:00.005-04:00

On Sunday we headed down to Provo to meet up with my family for the day. We went to church with Lindsay and Jason then went to their house for an early dinner. The cousins were so excited to be together...
My cute husband, dad, and brother in law...
All the cousins!My Abbi Lynn and I...

Livi and Jackson are best of friends...
Enjoying rootbeer floats...

My sisters and I...

After we left Lindsay's house we headed up to Sandy to Parker's Uncle Burke and Aunt Denny's house! We haven't seen them in a while and it was SO good to see them! I've loved them from day one and we didn't want to pass up on a chance to see them.

Everyone had fun playing in their backyard...

It was a busy day cramming as many family members as we could in one day but it was great! Next I'll post on the rest of our week in Neola!

Week WIth Morrills Part 1

2011-07-26T16:30:00.008-04:00

We are in Utah! Yay! Parker, Tyce, and I flew in on Friday afternoon. Tyce was an angel on the plane. The flight ended up being 2 hours longer than intended because we had to fly over Chicago for 2 hours due to a severe thunderstorm around the airport. Tyce was so good and even slept for almost 3 hours! We landed about an hour before my parents came in from Oregon with the twins. We waited behind security so we could see them right off the airplane. I was so excited to see them and they seemed excited to see us as well. It felt so good to be back together as a family! Mom, Christine, and Tegan picked us up from the airport and it was so good to see them. Tegan is looking so grown up and Christine is 37 weeks pregnant! Mom still looked the same, beautiful! We said goodbye to my parents (which was hard, but we'll have our time in Oregon with them) and headed up to Park City. Morrills rented a house there for 4 days. That night everyone finally got to Park City and the fun could get started!

Saturday we headed up to the resort and shopped, went on rides, etc...
Tyce and Cole were so excited about the bunk beds...Cute Jack watching cartoons in my bed...
Uncle Shane and Jackson being cute posers...

Jackson and Josh loved the bungee trampoline...On his first try Josh did a back flip! He even did a double one! He was so proud...

Jackie, Christine, and I...

My wonderful in laws who made all the fun possible...
Tyler, Jackie, Cole, and Kate, beautiful family!

Tyce liked the airplane ride...
After we left the resort we headed back to the house for lunch, naps, then pool time!

Tyce with Auntie Jackie and little Kate...

All the cousins! Too cute...
Tyler, Parker, Bart, and Tegan had a hilarious diving contest...
Sunday we spent with my family (post to come) and Monday we came to Neola! I will do those posts soon. :) It's been so nice to be with family. My boys are just loving time with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. They have all been really good and sleeping really good, which is always a worry when you travel across country. More to come!

Fun in Oregon

2011-07-20T12:25:00.002-04:00

My mom has texted me some cute pics of the boys so I thought I'd post them on here. It sounds like they are having tons of fun and being totally spoiled. That's what grandparents are for right?!

Here they are at my dad's office, me and my sisters used to play with the same things...They went on a hike at Silver Creek Falls...They had a picnic lunch there and Josh THOROUGHLY enjoyed his cheetos...Hiking with Grandpa...They thought this cave was really cool...They got to go rock climbing at the Croc Center. Last year neither of them would do it, but this time they were brave! My mom said they had lots of determination and did great!Joshy the rock climber...Cute Jackson and Grandpa...Cute Joshy...
I miss my boys but it is sure nice having just one kid at home! Tyce is loving all the attention he gets too! In two days we'll be in Utah! YAY!!!

Jackson and Josh Go To Oregon!

2011-07-16T16:48:00.005-04:00

My dad came out here on Friday to get the boys to bring them to Oregon for the week! They have been looking forward to this for a long time. Luckily we got to spend some time with them before they all left this afternoon.

Yesterday we went to lunch at Guapo's, then headed to Signal Bay for a while...Then we decided to head over to our neighborhood pool for some more swimming!

My dad was blowing water at Tyce through the noodle and he was laughing so hard...Then we came home, had some lasagna for dinner, got jammies on, and did some fireworks that Parker had bought that we hadn't used...Daddy and cowboy Tyce doing a sparkler...Joshy with his sparkler...Jack with his sparkler..Today we went to the gym then came home and got packed up. I dropped them off at the airport and they were so dang excited and cute. Suddenly they seemed so grown up. I know they won't miss me much because they will be having so much fun with grandma and grandpa but they were still hugging me and Jack walked away yelling, I LOVE YOU MOMMY! I held in my tears, and I'm proud of myself. Thanks mom and dad for taking them! Enjoy my boys!When I came home from the airport I guess Tyce was antsy to go somewhere (he woke up from his nap asking to go see pampa!) so him and Parker headed off to buy a new drill. I guess since it's 5pm I better get showered since we're going out with friends to dinner tonight! It will be a low key week with just Tyce at home but I'm looking forward to it. Friday morning we leave to go to Utah! We're spending a week with Parker's fam then we're renting a car and driving to Oregon to spend a week with my fam! Can't wait!!!

Free Slurpees and Good Friends

2011-07-11T12:51:00.002-04:00

Today was free slurpee day at 7-11 so we headed over there after the gym. The kids were so excited. I love my friend Kimberly and her two kids Jake and Brianna. Jake and Tyce are only 7 months apart and Brianna and the twins are only 1 month apart. They all play so cute together and it's so nice having a friend to spend my days with. We go to the gym together, then off to the pool, park, mall, whatever. They leave this week for Wisconsin for a month and we will miss them! Luckily we will be gone for two of those weeks.

Here's the clan sitting on the curb at 7-11 enjoying their slurpees... Josh, Brianna, and Jackson...

We are counting down the days until my dad comes on Friday and will take the boys to Oregon on Saturday! I am so going to miss them but they are so excited and think they are so cool because they get to ride on the airplane with just Grandpa Barraclough and no mommy or daddy. Soon enough we'll be joining them! Can't wait to see everyone!!!

Tyce

2011-07-06T12:41:00.003-04:00

Tyce wakes up every morning and lays in his bed talking to himself. His two favorite things to say are, "nooo we not go to pool yet!" and "juice cereal juice cereal." He loves breakfast (which is good seeing as he rarely eats dinner). Today I was busy doing something and he was hungry so he got his own spoon and helped himself...

Here he is digging in...

Chewing away...Time for some more...

He cracks me up. As soon as he saw me looking at him he goes, "sorry mommy sorry." Haha. He is growing up so fast. We are counting down the days until we go home! In 10 days Jackson and Josh will be on a plane with Grandpa Barraclough flying to Oregon! My parents are going to have them a week before the rest of us come out. They are so excited to see everyone!

4th of July

2011-07-05T09:31:00.004-04:00

We had a fun yet low key holiday this year. We went to the gym, had a picnic at the park, then went to the pool. I am amazed at how well the twins are swimming after I've only given them a few informal lessons. They could swim all day if we let them!

Here's Joshy doing big arms...

Here's Jack doing big arms...Cute guys...Tyce would throw the ball in the water for the twins to go get and then he would laugh so hard...
After the pool we gave Tyce a nap, had a bbq, then headed off to the park for fireworks...

Happy 4th of July to everyone and happy birthday to my grandpa (4th), mother in law (5th) and my mom (6th)!!! Love you all!!!

Cell Phone Pics #2

2011-06-30T15:32:00.006-04:00

Here's the second batch of cell phone pics...

Tyce and his best friend Jake at the park... Cool guys on their bikes...

Cowboy Tyce...They all wanted mohawks...Cute brothers...Our blow up pool in our backyard...We got a family pass for a waterpark about 5 minutes away from our house. We've spent lots of time there and the kids have so much fun...Tyce fell flat on his face on the road, poor guy...

Nothing too exciting going on out here. We spend a lot of our time at our pool or at the waterpark because it's pretty hot outside. We are very much looking forward to heading to Utah and Oregon in July!!!! Yay!!!!

Cell Phone Pics

2011-06-29T09:28:00.010-04:00

I don't have a fancy internet cell phone so I decided to plug it in and download some of my cell phone pics to my blog. Enjoy!

Pirate Josh... Pirate Tyce...

Poor Jack after he fell flat on his face in a forest...Swimming...Tyce, Josh, and Brianna...Josh "pretending to be daddy"...Nerd alert...Cute guys at Costco...Tyce has to get on this machine every day when we're leaving the gym...Tyce is constantly bringing me his blankets and la la asking to go to night night...Leah, Jack, Tyce, and Josh laying our in entry way talking about what a great day they had...Cute guys at DQ after their 5 year doctor appointment...Transformers...

That's the first batch, one more to come!

My Boys

2011-06-27T13:36:00.002-04:00

Josh is my sweetheart. He loves to do things to make mommy happy. He will frequently do the dishes, clean the house, and draw me sweet pictures when he sees that I am having a rough day. He is mellow and obedient and I love that about him. He is also so smart and is catching on to swimming very fast! I love you Joshy! Tyce is growing up so fast and becoming so much fun! Both Parker and I prefer kids a little older, not a huge fan of the baby stage. He is talking so well! Yesterday he said, "we not go to pool yet!" He also loves to sing Popcorn Popping and the chorus of I Am A Child of God. So cute. He is still a great sleeper. He looks forward to his naps and bedtime. Still a terrible eater. He is a smiley guy and loves to play with his brothers. He also loves to read stories with daddy. I love you Tycee!

Jackson is my sensitive child. He can be so sweet and so dramatic. He is very interested in the church and is always asking questions like "if I do all the right things can we be a family together forever in heaven?" So cute. He is so cute with his bright blue eyes, white blond hair, and long lean body. He is an early riser and loves to watch cartoons. He also loves to cuddle mommy. I love you Jack!Cute guys...After the gym today I stopped by to see Traci. The kids had fun playing and then they all posed for a picture! Too cute...

Sad

2011-06-25T10:08:00.002-04:00

We've lived in Virginia almost two years now. Things are good. Life is good. Parker has a stable and well paying job that he enjoys. The kids are all healthy and happy. Why do I still find myself sad? Yesterday in the mail I got Jackson and Josh's kindergarten form from the pediatrician. The nurses handwriting looked just like my mom's handwriting and it made me cry. I miss her so much. Wednesday night Parker was gone at the church all night and I called my little sister who was also home alone that night because her husband was at scout camp. I hung up and cried. It would've been a perfect night for two sisters to sit on the couch and enjoy some time together. I miss her so much. Today is my little sis in law's baby shower, I would give anything to be there. I hate missing out on stuff like that and I so want to be there for Christine and all she's going through. I miss her so much. Why was I taken away from family that I love so dearly and want/need in my life?

I may never know the answer to that question. I just have to come to terms with that. Don't get me wrong, I love Virginia. There are so many things I love about Virginia. In fact, I have never wanted to spend the rest of my life in Utah. But, that's where most of my family is. So that's where I want to be. I have been so blessed out here with an amazing ward, neighbor girls that are always there when I need help, and wonderful friends. I know that Heavenly Father sent my dear friends Traci and Kimberly to me to help ease the pain of not having my sisters around. I am grateful for Traci's daughter, sweet little Leah that I get to babysit 2-3 times a week, because she reminds me of my niece. I know I'm being looked after and taken care of and for that I am grateful. Yet, I still find myself sad. It comes and goes. Today it's here. Maybe tomorrow it will go.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T16:32:00.004-04:00

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband and father of my children!!! Parker is an amazing daddy in so many ways. Since he's been a dad for 5 years I decided to post the top five things I love about him as a dad:

#1: He is actively engaged in taking care of them. Whether it's diapers, feeding, bathing, cuddling, or disciplining Parker is very involved. He does not just expect me to do everything in that department because I am the mom.

#2: He loves to play with the boys. Parker loves to wrestle them, take them to the park to hit baseballs, throw a football to them, play games with them, swim with them, read to them, you name it and Parker does it. Even when he comes home from an exhausting work day, he manages to find the energy to play!

#3: Parker is patient with the boys. He is so slow to anger with the boys and quick to forgive. He is patient with Jackson and his many fits. He is patient with Tyce's whining. He is patient with Josh when he acts up (which is rare).

#4: Parker is a good example. I love that my boys have Parker to emulate. Like his own dad, Parker is a hard worker. Also like his own dad, Parker treats his wife with upmost respect and love. Also like his own dad, Parker is active in the church and is a worthy priesthood holder. I hope my boys can grow up to be like their daddy!

#5: Parker is full of love for his family. My boys have no reason to doubt their daddy's love for them. Parker is full of hugs and kisses for his boys. He is quick to compliment them and encourage them.

I look forward to when he's been a dad for 10 years because I have many more things to add to that list. I know Parker learned many of these qualities from his own dad, and for that I am so grateful. Happy Father's Day to you too Bart! I sure lucked out with Parker, an amazing husband AND daddy! We all love you daddy!!!!

I think Parker has had a pretty good day so far. We had church this morning... Then he came home to open his presents...(p.s. Jackson and Josh got these transformer costumes with the money they got from Grandma Bybee for their birthday, they haven't taken them off except to go to church)

Tyce decided he wanted to get in the pic...He got a new electric razor...And a new briefcase for work...After lunch I put Tyce down for a nap and Parker, Jack, and Josh watched Transformers 2 together. It was the first non cartoon movie they'd ever seen. It was long and Parker was worried they would get bored but it sounds like they loved it! Parker commented on how happy he was to finally have someone to watch movies like that with. :) He is so lucky to have boys! What more could a guy want right? :)I also want to say happy father's day to MY daddy!!!! He's been a dad for 30 years so I won't bore you with 30 reasons why he's amazing. Suffice it to say, he's everything I could ever want in a dad. I can't ever remember a time in my life where we weren't close. I can't ever remember a time in my life where I wasn't taken care of. I can't ever remember a time in my life where I didn't know he was there for me. My dad is hard working, loving, hilarious, strong in the gospel, outgoing, generous, patient, and did I mention fun to be around? I swear my friends when I lived at home came over more to hang out with my dad than with me. I love that whether I'm 7 and he's rescuing one of my stuffed animals from the garbage or 27 and needing a shoulder to cry on, my dad is there. I LOVE YOU DAD!!!

Happy 5th Birthday Jackson and Josh!

2011-06-15T12:35:00.012-04:00

Five years ago these two tiny angels came into my life, at 3 and 4 pounds, 9 weeks early, and struggling...

And look at them now!!!!Monday morning they woke up to the house decorated and ready to run through the crepe paper and turn 5!!! I let them open their family presents that morning because I figured they'd have enough presents to open that night at their friend party. They were so excited...Auntie Lindsay and Uncle Jason sent them BYU football shirts! So cute!Joshy loved his transformer from Auntie Nicole...Jack loved his too...Auntie Nicole also sent them batman sunglasses and new movies! Grandma Bybee sent them $20 in $1 bills, they were SO excited! Grandma and Grandpa Barraclough sent them super cute books and a dino dot to dot. Their main present was going to Great Wolf Lodge a couple weeks ago. They love their new books and I love having something different to read them!They also got homemade cards from Auntie Jackie and Cole, which they thought were so cool. Grandma and Grandpa Morrill sent them each a visa gift card so they get to go shopping and pick out their own toys! They can't wait to go.

That evening we had their first ever friend birthday party! We had it at a park and the weather was PERFECT! Mid 70s, no humidity, slight breeze. It was wonderful! We had about 18 kids come, which was hectic but I had some adults there to help as well.

They played Red Rover Red Rover...Leah and Tyce were so cute holding hands...Josh was so excited when his friends started singing to him...Could he be any cuter?Dino cake from Costco...Opening presents...They loved their Spiderman masks...Group shot of the adults...Group shot of the kids: Emily, Noah, Meg, Jackson, Josh, Geovanny, Rhyannon, Taison, Finn, Dalton, Alana, Maggie, Brianna, Yoshi, Josh, Kenji, Jake, and Brandon! Leah and Sarah were also there but had to leave a little early. My boys are so lucky to have such a good group of friends from church, school, and the gym!
The only thing that went wrong: Tyce had a HUGE blowout. SO, he was white trash kid in his diaper for the end of the party...A white trash kid in a diaper who LOVED his cake... It was the perfect evening. Great weather, great friends, great party. I can't believe my boys are 5! It sounds so old to me! They are special boys that I feel honored to parent. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACKSON AND JOSH! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

9 Hours at Dutch Wonderland

2011-06-12T16:43:00.010-04:00

Instead of getting Jackson and Josh presents for their birthday this year we decided to take them to Dutch Wonderland for a day. It's a really fun amusement park in Pennsylvania, about a 2.5 hour drive. We didn't tell them where we were going (mostly because there was a 60% chance of rain and we didn't want to get their hopes up in case we couldn't go). When we got there they were SO excited and SO cute! We ended up having great weather and no lines! It was so nice being able to walk onto every ride. Often times they just let the boys stay on the ride and go again because no one else was waiting! It was the perfect way to celebrate my boys turning 5!

They loved this ride... Yes yes, Jackson is the princess...

Tyce loved the bulldozers...Cute guys on the panda ride...I had to beg them to stop chasing ducks so I could take a picture...Josh and I were awesome at bumper cars!Pony rides! I must admit I hated paying $10 to have them ride a pony for 5 minutes when they can do that for FREE in Neola! Oh well, this will do for now...They loved this froggy ride...Swings...Riding on the train...Don't mind my sweaty shiney face, it was quite humid...They probably could have ridden these plasma cars all day! Cute guys on the horse and buggy carriage...Can you tell Josh enjoyed his blue raspberry italian ice?Tyce in the hands up roller coaster pose for this ride that moves about 2mph...

It was such a fun day! Tyce was an angel, even without his usual 4 hour nap. There was a really fast roller coaster there that Jackson and Josh LOVED! We went on that over and over again. I was surprised how brave they were! We stayed until 8pm then grabbed some dinner and headed home. The kids were asleep pretty fast. We drove through a CRAZY storm! Tornados, BUCKETS of rain, huge lightening and thunder. People were pulled over under bridges waiting out the storm. We kept driving and made it through. I love storms, but it was scary driving through it. We're glad that the rain held off until after we left! We are all tired today but hopefully we can get to bed early because tomorrow is their BIRTHDAY! They're so excited for their party. I'll post on that soon!

8 Year Anniversary!!!

2011-06-06T14:34:00.002-04:00

Today is our 8 year anniversary! 8 years ago we were sealed for time and all eternity in the Portland temple. I loved him so much then, but never imagined how much that love could grow. Something I think has really helped our marriage be so strong is that Parker loves me the way I want to be loved, and I love him the way he wants to be loved. He lives to please me and I do the same. Probably my favorite thing about our marriage is how well we get along. We rarely fight and we have so much fun together. I love Parker's calming personality and his patience with me. I love how unselfish he is. I love how sweet he is. I love how he makes sure I know how much he loves me. I love how he makes me feel beautiful. I love that he chose me 8 years ago. I love you so much babe, and look forward to everything our future holds...together.

Friday night my dear friend Traci babysat the kids until 1am so we could go out and celebrate. We went to dinner in Alexandria... Then went to a movie...

Haha, Parker doesn't look like he's having much fun in these pictures but I promise he was! :) Happy Anniversary to my man!!!

Parker and Tyce Go to Utah

2011-06-04T11:05:00.005-04:00

So Parker and Tyce flew out to Utah last Thursday to surprise his little sister Tegan on her 12th birthday. It sounds like she already figured it out, seeing as many people said things on accident, but I still hope she was excited. It was very weird being here without Tyce, I missed him a lot but knew he was in good hands! Here are some pics from Parker's phone and some that his sister Jackie sent me....

On his way to Utah, Parker ended up missing his connection in Chicago due to thunderstorms in Dulles so he had to stay the night and get on a flight the next day. It was a LONG day for both of them but Parker said Tyce was great. Here he is eating a grilled chicken sandwhich in the airport... Oh, by the way, these are all out of order so bear with me. Grandma pushing Cole and Tyce on the swings while holding Kate. What a great grandma!!!

Grandma pushing Cole and Tyce in the wheelbarrow down to feed the horses!Throwing rocks in the pond...Tyce and Cole eating lunch, Parker said they played SO well together! Cole turns 3 this month and is such a cutie!On Memorial Day they went and visited lots of gravesites of family members...Then they went up to their cabin in the mountains...Auntie Jackie and Tycee throwing rocks!Best buds on the rock...Ok, back to the airport, here's Tyce and his lion riding on the people mover (you do what you gotta do to entertain a 1 year old in an airport for 4 hours)...Chillin in Denver...Cute guy at the airport...All the siblings in age order: Parker, Jackie, Shane, Christine, and Tegan! What a gorgeous family I married into!The whole family except Christine, the twins, and I...Grandma reading to her grandkids...Sounds like Tyce was nervous about the dogs for a while, then calmed down...The whole fam, except, of course, the twins and I (sniff sniff)...

Ok, so doing this post made me super sad I wasn't there but I'm SO glad Parker was able to go spend some much needed time with his wonderful family. Thanks mom and Jackie for taking such good care of them!!!! Love you all!!!