Morrill Family

The Phone Call

2011-11-17T16:05:00.000-08:00

Last night while I was helping my girls clean up their toys, Ella found a phone and started "talking" on it. She told us she was talking to "Jesus."

Abby then said to her, "Ella, do you know how to talk to Jesus? You just say your prayers!"

It was so sweet. I sure love my girls.

They teach me so much every day.

Pumpkin heads

2011-10-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we had our annual Pumpkin Carving Festivities. We all had a great time. Adam especially enjoyed putting a 43 pound jack o'lantern on the kids heads.

4 Months *

2011-07-18T14:43:00.001-07:00

Sweet Lydia is technically still 4 months, at least for another week. We went to southern Utah for a family reunion when Lydia really turned 4 months, then there were some forgetful days and some sick days so at 4 months and 3 weeks, we get the 4 month pictures.

My mother started the tradition in our family to take the babies pictures each month in the first year of life. My sister Janette followed suit, so tradition is the reason (and of course 3 beautiful girls) for the monthly pictures.

On friday 7/15/11, Lydia went to the Dr. for her checkup. She has grown. She is 27.5" tall-99%, weighs 17 lbs 10 oz (with a full diaper. Adam thought he would have to take the diaper off, so he didn't change her before)- 96%.
In the past month and a half, Lydia has learned to roll over both ways. She loves to stand. She is very vocal. She love all of the attention from her older sisters, loves kisses and to be sung to. She is such a pleasant baby. She is a blessing to our family.

3 months

2011-06-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

So, Lydia is really 3 months old. I was a little slow in posting the 2 month pictures. I am in love with this little girl. She is so full of smiles. From the getgo, Lydia was a pretty good sleeper. At 6.5 weeks, she decided she could sleep all night and has every night.

Lydia has the cutest belly laugh. Abby and Ella love to make her laugh everyday. Lydia loves to make wierd sounds and have someone create the same sound for her to hear. It puts a smile on her face.

Lydia is starting to grab toys, loves her bath (especially with her big sisters), she sucks on her fists and it quite the talker (good thing, or she wouldn't get a word in edgewise).

2 months

2011-05-31T10:18:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe sweet Lydia is already two months old. She sleeps great, eats regularly and smiles all of the time. She is such a good natured baby. She is starting to hold up her head well. We had the privilege of blessing Lydia on May 1. Adam gave her a really nice blessing. We are so grateful for our family and the love and support they give us. I always think about my dad when there is an important event in our lives. I would have loved to have him participate in the blessing. I miss him! I am sure he watches over my girls; I just don't fully realize how much he does it.

Cinder-Ella

2011-04-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

The other day, I was unloading the dishwasher. Ella came into the kitchen and I asked her if she wanted to help me. She did. We unloaded then I started washing off the dishes to load. I would hand her the dirty dishes and she loaded the dishes. I was impressed with how well she did the job. She is getting to be a big helper. Love you Ella.

Highest Bidder

2011-04-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to our Relief Society Meeting. We had a service auction where sisters were asked to donate homemade goods or services. We had dinner and filled out a questionnaire. Each question had a point value and if you answer yes to that question, you could give yourself the designated amount of points. You would then use the points to bid on the items. I outbid everyone on the quilt and "won" it. Thanks to Sister Fowler for making and donating such a beautiful quilt. I love it!!!

One Month

2011-04-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

Sweet Lydia is already a month old. She is such a good baby. She is absolutely in love with her big sisters. She loves to watch and snuggle them. Abby loves to hold Lydia, and would do it all day if I let her. Ella loves to play with her and show her toys. It has of course been an adjustment adding another child to the mix, but I think we are finally figuring out our places in the family. There is of course some jealousy, but in reality, that may never go away. I hope my girls will always love each other and be great friends.

Our New Addition

2011-03-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

Lydia Renee Morrill finally joined our family on February 24, 2011 at 4:38pm weighing 8 lbs and 11 oz and measuring 21 in. long. I was due to have her on Feb. 20. My Dr. wouldn't let me go more than a week late and asked that I schedule an induction date sometime during my 41st week.

I hadn't received a call from the hospital on Wednesday night by 7ish so I called the hospital. When I asked the nurse what time they usually make the calls for the following day, she said they were super busy and would call me back when they weren't so busy. Adam had a basketball game that night, so I took the girls to watch him. The nurse called while we were at the game and told me to come in at 7:00am Thursday morning, but to call at 6:30 to make sure they had room for me. I had done this twice before and had worried about them not having room for me and found that I worried the two other times for nothing.

I slept great until 3:00am. Then I tossed and turned until 5:30 when I finally got up and took a shower.

I called the hospital at 6:20 am only to find they didn't have one room available in Labor and Delivery. The nurse told me to call back at 8:00.
When I called back at 8:00 the nurse told me to come in at 9:00am. We dropped Abby and Ella off at Grandma and Grandpa Morrill's and headed over to Timpanogos Hospital. My mom was there waiting to take our picture as we walked into the hospital (as she had done with our other two girls).

I got started on pitocin and paperwork and things were pretty slow. I didn't feel much pain from the contractions until the Dr came in and broke my water.

Just before I got my epidural and after the epidural until I had delivered sweet Lydia I felt really miserable. My blood pressure kept dropping, I felt shaky and nauseated. I felt like I didn't have any energy at all. I don't remember feeling that way with my first two girls after the epidural.

When I got to the hospital, I was dilated to 3cm and 70% effaced. It took hours to get to 5cm, but when I finally got there, It was a short time to get to 10cm. When I was at 9 cm, the nurse called my Dr. and started to get the room ready for Lydia's arrival. I was relieved and scared. Feelings that I felt all three times when it was almost time to start pushing. Lydia was definitely ready to come because after I had pushed a couple of times, she started pushing herself out. Dr. Lameraux laid her on my chest and she looked so familiar to me. I wasn't sure if it was because she looked like my other girls. She was so beautiful. I was relieved that she was here and was healthy.

Adam and I had some alone time with her after the staff got her cleaned up. I nursed her and then a nurse came in to bathe her. When Lydia cried, Adam would put his hand on her arm or hand and talk to her. Lydia calmed right down each time he did it. It was sweet. Adam is such a wonderful daddy. Our girls are so lucky to have him as their father.

Lydia and I stayed in the hospital until Saturday afternoon. Adam brought the girls to pick me up. It was nice to come home.

So far, Lydia is a super mild baby. She is a great sleeper and eater. She is patient with the girls holding her. She smiles a lot. We are so happy to have her in our family. We love you Lydia.

WINTER WONDERLAND

2010-12-21T10:37:00.000-08:00

Today we woke up to 6 inches of snow. It is so beautiful.

Our girls have been waiting to see a bird at our new feeder. Good thing there was some bird seed for this little guy.

Picture of us after playing in the snow.

Ella wearing my gloves and getting ready to hit me with a snowball.

Abby and Ella making snow angels.

Our snowman.

Merry Christmas!!

2 Short Years

2010-08-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

I finally took miss Ella's 2 year old picture. Adam and I drove around looking for a field we could use and found a great one. There were a couple of deer in velvet in the same field. If only they could have cooperated and came to pose with Ella. Abby was having a much anticipated and fun sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house, so she wasn't a distraction. Ella was a doll. We sure love her.

Twin cousin's

2010-07-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

Last week, I took 2 year and 4 year pictures of my niece and nephew. They are both just a few days away from being twins with each of my girls. They are both so photogenic!

Bingham Canyon Mine Field trip

2010-06-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Janette has put together a summer field trip every Tuesday. She has invited her neighborhood and her siblings to free or low-cost places all summer. The first field trip was at the park in P.G. I forgot my camera, but the girls had a blast. Last Tuesday, we went out to Bingham Canyon Mine. I don't remember ever going there. It is so amazing how "they" figured out how to do all of that mining. We finished by going to a park for a picnic. Bekah, Robbie and Ari also came. Thanks Janette for organizing our Tuesday activities.

WET N WILD

2010-06-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

The Crump girls joined us today for some fun in the sun. Apparently it was too cold at first, so I added 20 gallons of hot water to heat the water. Abby and Estelle were the most adventurous running and jumping into the pool. It was a beautiful day.

Goose Egg!

2010-06-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Ella was running around tonight and tripped. She hit her head on the dresser. Ouch!

Snow Bunny

2010-04-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

Easter morning, we woke up to 4-5 inches of fresh powder. Adam decided to take the girls out to make snow angels, have a snowball fight and to build a snowman. Ella was not such a fan of laying down in the snow. Perhaps because she could not stand up with her snow suit on. Adam and Abby enjoyed making snow angels. They then decided to make a snowman. In the process, Adam decided it would be way more fun to make a snow bunny instead. It turned out so stinking cute. I loved the idea. They used plastic eggs, sidewalk chalk and grass to decorate it. Adam is such a great dad. I love that he enjoys spending time with our girls.

Hunt for the Eggs

2010-04-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

Easter started Saturday morning with the Easter Bunny leaving baskets and eggs for the girls to find around the living room. Abby was happy to find and help Ella find the eggs for their baskets. Ella on the other hand was happy to sit and eat the candy found in the eggs.

In the afternoon, we went to Grandpa and Grandma Morrill's for the BIG Easter egg hunt in their backyard. All of the cousins were there. The three little kids were able to start first, to give them a chance to find at least three eggs before the older kids found them all. We had a BBQ after the hunt. We love this tradition!

There were a variety of candy found in each egg. Most of the eggs had a dollar amount written on the outside. The kids counted the amounts from the eggs and the banker (Grandpa) would give them their money.

Abby wanted to blog about Easter. This is what she said, "Mom, dad, had a Easter day hunt. Abby, Ivy, Ella, Robbie, Ari, Zander, and Audrey, Becca, Bekah, Nate, Andrea, Grandpa and Grandma. We ran around looking for eggs. We found the eggs and put them into my basket. We got money. Grandpa and Grandma gave me and Ella a dress. We played. It was fun."

The Bean Museum

2010-03-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

Erika invited us to join her class as they visited the Bean Museum today. Ella was so delighted by all of the animals. She seemed to speak their language (whatever dead animal language is). She would say "hi" to the animals and jibber-jabber to them as she walked by. We walked through the museum then had a picnic. Erika had scheduled a reptile show which was great. Thanks Erika for inviting us. We had a wonderful time.

Allred Park

2010-03-29T14:11:00.001-07:00

Today, Bekah, Robbie and Ari came over to play. Abby and Robbie rode their bikes and Ella and Ari rode in the stroller to Allred Park. It was a beautiful day. Robbie's bike got a flat tire, so Adam came and picked up the bikes and met us home for lunch. I am so anxious for nice sunny weather. Nate and Bekah have put an offer on a home in Lehi. We are excited to have them closer!

Beautiful Girls

2010-03-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

I took the girls to get their pictures taken by my friend and photographer Mindy Young. She did a great job. I know I have a strong biased opinion, but I think they look amazing. I can't stop looking at them. I love my girls!!

Zoo=Thanksgiving Point Farm

2010-03-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

In September, when we started preschool, we started with the letter A. We continued on each week focusing on each letter of the alphabet until this week when we arrived at the letter Z. Jamie wanted us to go to the zoo, but to save time and money we went to the Thanksgiving Point farm instead. The kids loved petting and feeding the animals, and of course, the pony rides. It was a beautiful day as far as the sunshine goes, but a bit on the chilly side. To my great surprise, Ella stayed in the stroller most of the time. I thought she would have fought me to get out and have me chase her the whole time. After the farm, I called Adam and we met up for lunch at JCW's (DW's as Abby calls it). It was nice to see him. After we spilled 4 cups of water, and ate our lunch, it was time for Adam to head back to work. We decided at lunch that it is time for another annual membership pass to Thanksgiving Point! It is such a fun and educational place. We LOVE it!

Christmas Concert

2010-03-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Abby's preschool class put on a Christmas concert for their families. They sang,

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

Joy to the World

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

and

Jingle Bells

They had a wonderful time learning and performing the songs, and we absolutely loved listening to them sing for us.

(left to right) Benson Christiansen, Abby Morrill, Sariah Pearson, Kayleigh Lund, Hayden Hansen
Abby invited Grandma and Grandpa Morrill and Aunt Andrea. We were glad they were able to join us.

Christmas Lights

2010-03-22T09:55:00.001-07:00

What is Christmas time without going to Temple Square to see the lights? We drove up to Taylorsville and met Kevin, Christine, Zac and Kylee to ride trax. It was freezing, but beautiful. The kids had fun running around looking at the different colored lights and Nativities from around the world. We went early enough in the evening that it wasn't too crowded. We all love the magic of Christmastime!!

Family Birthday Party!!

2010-03-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

Every year, we celebrate Abby and Robbie's birthday together. We had the party in my Aunt Karen's basement (it was great, thanks!). We made pvc pipe/sock horses, had races and an obstacle course, had swords and crowns. Abby chose a princess cake. She helped me frost and decorate it.

The main reason to have the party at my Aunt's house, is because both Abby and Robbie received their first bikes. Since their birthday's are in the middle of winter, we wanted them to have a chance to ride their bikes and what better place is there then in my Aunt Karen's basement. It was perfect.

The day before Abby's birthday, we had a friend party. We decorated crowns, played some games, painted fingernails, decorated sugar cookies, and ate pizza.

On Abby's birthday, Adam and I took Abby to see The Princess and the Frog. Aunt Andrea joined us as well. When it was over, Andrea asked if she could take Abby to see "A Christmas Carol" at the Hale Center Theater. Abby had three great celebrations.

Happy Birthday Sweetie! We love you a lot!!

Catch-up: Trick or Treat

2010-03-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a three-party event. It started the night before Halloween at our ward party. It was well executed and involved dinner, a spook alley, necklace making activity, cupcake walk, eating a donut on a string and a trunk 0r treat. Abby was a little hesitant to jump right in to all of the activities. Ella on the otherhand, jumped in head first if there was sugar involved.
Grandpa and Grandma Morrill invited the girls to participate in their ward/neighborhood's trunk or treat early Halloween evening. Grandpa dressed as a sack of potatos, Grandma as a "nice" witch, Miss Ella was a duck. Abby was Silvermist and Ella was Rosetta from The Tinkerbell movie.

When we finished the round with Grandma and Grandpa, we headed out to Trick or Treat with the Crump kids and neighbors. The four little girls were fairies, Emma was an Indian and Shelby was a cheerleader.
The boys went out earlier than the girls. They wanted to fill their pillowcases with candy and they didn't think the little girls could keep up.

Starting to Catch-Up: Fall FHE

2010-03-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

Last October for Family Home Evening, we decided to take a drive up American Fork canyon to see what was left of the colorful leaves and have a picnic. We stopped at Mutual Dell. When we arrived, we ate our pizza, then went for a walk to look for bears. Instead of finding a bear, we found an ampitheater. The "girls" had a blast on the stage dancing, singing, giving "church talks" and climbing around. Adam and I got a kick out of Abby "holding" the microphone as she wispered in my ear the words of the prayer. She wanted to be the Primary teacher. She did a fine job!

"Whenever I hear the song of a bird, or look at the blue, blue sky

Whenever I feel the rain on my face, or the wind as it rushes by

Whenever I touch a velvet rose, or walk by a lilac tree

I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world, Heavenly Father created for me"

2010-02-13T09:10:00.001-08:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

2010-02-13T08:54:00.001-08:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

What-Shall-We-Give?

2009-12-17T08:14:00.000-08:00

What-Shall-We-Give?

2009-12-15T20:51:00.001-08:00

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The Great Pumpkin...

2009-10-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight we spent the evening painting/carving pumpkins.

Abby loves to use lots of colors.

Abby and Ella seemed to enjoy painting their pumpkins.

I think the activity turned out to be a big success.

Ella won the lady bug o'lantern.

Abby won the most colorful jack 0'lantern.

Renee won the smilinest jake o'lantern.

Adam won the scary jack o'lantern.

Birthday Celebration

2009-10-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

We have a relatively new tradition to celebrate Aunt Andrea's birthday at the restaurant at Gardner's Village, then walk around to see the witches at their best. It was so great this year because all of our family was able to attend. It was a nice surprise to see Mike and Becca and their children as well. It wasn't too cold which made the experience nicer also. Happy Birthday Andrea! We all sure love you!

Bean Museum

2009-10-16T07:55:00.001-07:00

Our preschool took a field trip to the Bean Museum on BYU campus on Tuesday. We showed up at a perfect time. There was another group that had scheduled a reptile show, but then didn't show up. We were able to see the show instead. The kids learned about snakes, turtles, lizards, crocodiles, alligators, and were able to touch some of these. Abby took the pictures of the instructor holding the reptiles because she would prefer to hold the camera then touch the live reptile. Although she did touch the dead ones. It was educational and fun for the kids.

Wheeler Farm

2009-10-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, we joined Bekah and her kids at Wheeler Farm for some fall fun. We walked around to see the animals as well as took a tractor/wagon ride. The kids had fun. We bought some corn to feed the ducks and geese. Little did we know that as soon as the geese saw the bag of food, they would attack us to get it. Abby was a little frightened and tried to get away from them. One duck bit Ari on the finger. The rest of the morning was great. It was beautiful weather.

2009-10-11T12:34:00.001-07:00

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"Joy" School

2009-10-08T11:28:00.002-07:00

I joined a neighborhood preschool for Abby which we started the beginning of September. There are five children and four other mothers that are involved. I started the first week with the letter A and the number 1. We made "A" books, made Apple Jacks cereal necklaces and colored and glued noodles to paper in the shape of the number 1. The rotation has gone through the other moms and it was my turn to host again this week. I was supposed to do letter f, and then letter j in November, but I decided to switch the letters of the week and teach J this week and F in November. On Tuesday, I taught the children about Jack and the Beanstalk and we planted some "magic" beans that I had found. Today for the activity, I purchased some small pumpkins and they painted their Jack-O-Lantern. It was really fun. I meant to take some pictures of them painting the pumpkins, but I forgot, so I will just post the finished products. I made some wheat bread and served it with some plum jam that Adam and I bottled for snack. It was a hit.

Favorite Grice Family

2009-10-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

While serving my mission in England, I met the Grice family. We taught two of their three daughters, Lydia and Ellie. Ellie got baptised while we were serving there and later her two sisters made that same choice. This family is so dear to my heart. I have had the opportunity to see and visit with them a couple of times as they have come to America. Tim and Julie recently came on holiday to Utah and I was able to spend an afternoon with them. It was so lovely to hear how well they and their children are doing. They are doing a great work. I feel so blessed and grateful for my acquaintance with them. They are truly some of my favorite people in this world.

Happy Birthday...3.5 months late!

2009-10-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to post these pictures for at least three and a half months now. My baby is growing up way too fast. I have really enjoyed having her in our family. Ella is a huge tease! (I don't know where she gets that from). She puts a smile on each of our faces every day. One of my favorite things that she does right now is when Abby is crying, she finds her and hugs and kisses her. I especially love it when Ella consols her sister when she is on timeout for doing something to Ella that she shouldn't have done. I don't know how effective "timeout" is when this happens, but I know that these two girls love each other and that will make all of the difference.

Play on Dad

2009-10-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

Our girls love to wrestle with their dad. He loves laying down on the floor when he gets home from work and the girls climb on him and "get him" while dad tickles them. Adam is such a wonderful dad. I am so grateful he loves to spend time with them and take care of them. We are so lucky to have him part of our lives.

Family Photos

2009-09-29T21:47:00.000-07:00

We had our family photo updated yesterday. Here are some of the winners.

Cecret Lake

2009-07-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

On Monday night for FHE, we went with Nate, Bekah, Grandpa and Grandma Morrill and the kids on a hike near Alta Ski Resort to Cecret Lake. We were hoping to see the wild flowers in bloom, but instead we found up to 3 feet of snow on the trail. Abby and Robbie were happy hikers and walked most of the time, only asking to be carried a couple of times. We packed a picnic dinner with us and ate near the lake. It was beautiful.

Rexburg - Island Park

2009-07-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the 4th of July in style by going up to Rexburg to visit Kent, Misty and Brayden for the weekend. Friday, we hiked to Cave Falls (in Yellowstone National Park), Upper and Lower Mesa Falls and went to Big Spring in Island Park. The wild flowers were in bloom, and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. We were not the only things enjoying the beautiful surroundings. We shared our space with hundreds of mosquito's. We didn't stay long at Cave Falls because they (the mosquito's) were eating us alive and packing the children away. We ate at a little diner called "Boondocks". The food was great! (We recommend going for anyone who will be visiting Island Park any time soon). While at island park, we went to look at the huge fish and it started pooring rain on us. We got drenched! Besides this rain, the weather was beautiful.

On Saturday, July 4, we went to the parade in Rexburg, played at a water park in Rexburg and had a BBQ. That evening we went to see the fireworks in Rexburg, then lit our own. It was great to all be together. We missed our mom that is on her mission in England. She would have loved seeing the kids playing together. Thanks Kent and Misty for your awesome hospitality.

Walking

2009-07-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

Ella is starting to take her first steps around the house.

With a little coaxing of course.

Family Reunion...

2009-06-27T19:02:00.001-07:00

Today we went to South Jordan for the William Morrill Family Reunion. It was a nice day to be out playing at the park. Lots of good food, and most of all the girls had a lot of fun!

Panastics!

2009-06-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

Abby is now taking gymnastics since May. The end of May there was a exhibition meet. She did pretty good for only three lessons. She was nervous to jump off objects in class. So, as good parents we have encouraged her to jump off the couch, stairs, and walk on the foot board to our bed (balance beam). She is getting braver each time.

Camping Trip

2009-05-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

We went camping for the Memorial Day weekend. It will be a memory. We got down there at 9pm on Friday night. It had been raining and the road to our pad was a mess. On Saturday it rained/drizzled all day. Needless to say we spent most of our day in a trailer (7 adults and 7 kids quite the combination). It was fun watching the two dogs playing in the mud. That night we decided if it was raining in the morning we would pack up and head home.

Sunday morning was beautiful. The sun was out and only a few clouds were in the sky. This lasted until about 3pm. That's when we saw black clouds coming our way. It didn't take long to pack up camp. It would have been quicker if it hadn't started to hail.

Even with all the wet weather we had a nice relaxing weekend.

All dressed up and no where to go

2009-05-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

We were getting ready to go to Costco and asked Abby to go get ready. This is how she got ready. Abby loves to play dress up. She got the hat, scarf and purse at the Halls/Doose's when Santa came to visit just before Christmas. She is a little Diva!

This chair is made for walking

2009-05-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

Ella thinks she is big now that she can "walk". She has been walking along furniture for quite some time, and now her favorite way of walking around is pushing the kitchen chairs from the dining room to the kitchen. I can't believe how fast time is flying by. My baby is going to be 1 next month!

Spring is Here!!!

2009-04-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

We are so excited. The weather has been great and we can't play enough outside.