What's Happening at the Morrill's

Trip to Virginia!

2010-11-09T12:09:00.012-07:00

I promised Jenn I would do a post when I got home, but I didn't promise when!! Anyway, I got to thinking one reason I probably don't blog too often is because I have a hard time choosing photos. As you will see I just decided to practically include them all because they are all so cute and we had such a fun time. We flew out October 13 and Bart and Tegan flew home on the 16th, but grandma got to stay until the 20th to make sure and stock up on lots of hugs!!

Parker and Jenn were very gracious hosts and we had a wonderful time. The weather cooperated nicely. It rained one day when we were inside the Air and Space Museum and bowling, so didn't ruin too many plans. I can't believe how beautiful it is this time of year back there. I love it because there are So many trees and you don't realize how close you are to the city.

One of my favorite things to do - just hanging out with the kiddos!

Just a cute pic of Tyce. He was soo good while we were there despite getting sick later on. He was always smiling and would bring you a book and then back up so you could pick him up - too cute!!
Cute pic of Jack getting ready to ride bikes!
This trail is not very far from their house and we had it all to ourselves! Such a beautiful day - oh dear I am missing them!

Haha we were picking out pumpkins to carve and Tyce thought they were just his size to sit on!
Oh my goodness this Air and Space Museum was amazing - so huge. They had a control tower that let you experience what working in one might be like. Inside was every kind of aircraft including a Concord, Space Shuttle, the stealth jet (yes real ones), military planes and bombs, etc. It was so interesting. Could have spent at least another day there!

Bowling is always a fun activity for everyone and the boys just love it. Here is little Tyce getting in on the action. Haha water bottle at the ready!

It was fun to be included in the annual pumpkin carving! I think the boys were a little braver this year about getting their hands icky!
The cutest little pumpkin of all!

We also had grandma's arts and crafts classes regularly!! Here we are making funny (scary) puppets. We also painted small pumpkins and did leaf impressions.

Jackson really wanted to make a rocket, so this is our best attempt!
There were some great parks for the kids. This one was called Clemijontri - I think. Anyway, it had so many areas and fun things. Remember the haunted convenience store Jenn?

This was at a different park. Grandma used the GPS and drove cause Tyce needed a good nap so Jenn stayed home with him. We just got to the park and both little guys had to go to the bathroom. No bathroom at the park, so grandma, not knowing where in the heck she is going, starts driving. Thank heavens we ran into a McDonalds not very far. Thank heavens for GPS to get us back to the park! Poor Jackson got stuck!

On the way home we were laughing pretty good at Tegan's flower clip!! It kept getting lower and lower as we went!
Outside their preschool. It was such fun to be a part of their everyday lives!

Well that was quite a travel log, but was so much fun. Can't wait to have them in Utah next. Miss you all. Thanks for such a great time. Hugs and Kisses!

Spring . . . blossoms and babies!

2010-05-24T10:44:00.014-06:00

Starting from where we left off . . . Tegan won the District History Fair, but they only took secondary students to state. She was very happy though and we were very proud of her!

The end of March I was able to fly to D.C. and visit with my east coast family! The cherry blossoms were blooming and we were able to go see those. Thanks to Parker and Jenn for tolerating grandma's wishes! The boys were great and it was a lot of fun. Sooo pretty with all the trees blooming. Only bad thing was I was only able to stay a few days, but it was worth it.

The little guys riding in the van - ready for the day!

Beautiful trees around Jefferson Memorial
Cute guys!
Heading home - all pooped out!
What a sweetie! Grandma had such fun with this little guy!
Christine was home for a flash for Easter then she had finals and was off to D.C. for the month. We miss her! Three of my kids are on the east coast this summer - missing all of them.
Shane was also home for Easter then took off to Baltimore this summer selling with APEX. We kind of miss him :) Just kidding. He was my late night movie buddy and traveling partner, so I miss him a lot!

One blessing was to have Tyce for a few days when Jenn made the trip out for her sister's graduation. He loved the swing!

Tegan and Cole hand painting. Jackie is such a good mom and so creative (this was her idea). My poor kids when they were little were prohibited from making messes! As you can tell Tegan is loving this too!
I thought this was a cute pic of Jackie's little ice cream tray! She no longer has this convenience!
Home for Mother's Day. Wish we could have had all the family here. It was such fun with Tyler, Jackie, and Cole and had a wonderful day.
Tegan played spring soccer with Tommy Olsen as her coach. She is a good little player. She has a great athletic ability with all sports, so will be interesting to see which she chooses!
Meet little Kate Bliss! What a beautiful baby, of course. She weighed 6 lbs 7 ozs and was 19.5 inches long. She was born at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, May 22. Jackie was supermom and with only two pushes she was here! We are so thrilled to have a beautiful granddaughter join our family. She has tons of hair, thanks to daddy's genes.

Little Cole is the sweetest little brother and loves baby Kate. He was so excited when he first saw her and literally could not wait to hold her.
So precious . . .

Tegan Takes the Gold!!

2010-03-04T16:02:00.009-07:00

Congratulations to Tegan for taking Grand Sweepstakes Winner at the Neola Elementary History Fair with her project "The Invention and Innovation of the Phonograph". We are very proud of her and all the work she put into her project. She did a lot of research and had a very colorful board, which I'm sure caught the eye of the judges, as well as her knowledgeable presentation. She will go on to district competition next week, so stay tuned . . .

Here's one late night before the fair!

Here are some pictures taken a while back that I thought were cute. Cole loves feeding the horses apples and isn't afraid to put them right in their mouth. Thank heavens we have nice horses that don't bite! (at least not on purpose)
I think Uncle Shug was trying to get him to do something "silly"
Okay, this kind of starts off the home remodeling project we are in the middle of right now. Tyler, Jackie, and Cole came and stayed a couple of days and Cole loved running around in the big empty bedroom. He was hiding behind the curtains and would run out laughing. After a few times his face started getting black and we are going what the? I am so embarrassed - the curtains were so dusty they were rubbing off on his little face. He couldn't figure out why we were laughing so hard at him. He looked like a little chimney sweep!
We began by bumping out the bedroom and bathroom upstairs to extend over the balcony, which is no more!
This is a before of the exotic 70's bathroom. That wallpaper may come back - not so sure about the zigzag carpet!
This is an in-progress picture of the same space.
Hallelujah, we finally got the stone on the wall in the family room! You can get a lot done faster when you decide to NOT do it yourself!
Here's a few more of little Cole. Jackie and Tyler let me kidnap him for a few days and we had a lot of fun at McDonald's, grocery shopping, four-wheeling and sledding, eating, cuddling, reading stories, etc., etc. He is such a good little guy and so polite. Thank so much for sharing your sweet little guy with us - we love it!

We truly love having the grandkids and miss Jackson, Josh and Tyce so much. I am planning a little trip out east the end of this month, so I can't wait to see them all!

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF SUMMER 2009

2009-11-08T18:48:00.010-07:00

This is going to be a big catch up post since I haven't posted anything since July! And since it has been so long I forgot to upload the earliest pictures last, so the pictures are out of chronological order :( Well most of my life has been out of order lately, hence the long time since posts. Since July we have added a new grandchild, lost a dear mother and grandmother, moved our daughter-in-law and three children in with us for a few weeks, had back surgery, done some home renovations, not to mention the routine things that go with work, family, church, and just living day to day. It has definitely been an interesting summer and one certainly worth journaling, but I feel I have really come up short this time. Hopefully these pictures will help tell the story a little of what we have experienced. There have been some very good times with the trials and I am so thankful to my family for their love and support while I have been laid up for so long.

I began to have pain in my leg the end of June and was diagnosed with a herniated disc in July. I was in constant pain, especially while sitting, for over two months while we tried epidural injections and physical therapy before having a successful surgery the end of September. I have learned to appreciate little things like sitting at the computer, going to a movie, driving a car, playing with my grandkids on the floor, going to the temple, riding horses with Tegan, etc. However, everything is going well now and I am grateful to good doctors and a patient family who have helped me stay focused on what really matters in life! THEM!

As I said, the pictures start with the most recent, which was a fun day spent at the corn maze with Jackie and Cole. Cole loved the corn bin, feeding the goats, riding the tractor train, picking out a pumpkin and navigating the maze. He is such a good little guy and is happy doing whatever is happening at the moment!

Look what we found amongst the melons at Costco!

At the Bees game on July 24th

It was so great having Christine home for a while this summer. Her and Tegan kept each other good company!

Christine helped Parker do a presentation on Japan for Tegan's class

Tegan had a very successful year in 4-H with her horse Sundance. They are quite the pair!

This little guy was one of the highlights of our summer. Tyce Parker Morrill was born July 31st at the Uintah Basin Medical Center. He weighed in at 8 lbs 4 oz. It was such a blessing to have Parker and Jenn here for the summer before moving to Washington D.C. I can't express how much I miss them all.

This was also another addition to our family this summer! Tegan's little Lillie Joy has been a lot of fun, though I forgot how much energy a puppy has and how much they like to chew on EVERYTHING!

After I inserted these pictures it is kind of hard to say this was a sad day, the day of mom's funeral. Everyone seems to be having too good of a time. We are very happy that mom is happy now. She died at the age of 94, having endured faithfully to the very end. (more detailed blog to follow)

These are the brave runners of the Neola 4th of July half marathon. Tyler did exceptionally well placing in the men's division. Jackie and dad also did very well. I admire anyone to cross the finish line still standing!

These little guys were literally my saviors this summer. They would help keep my mind off the pain and had such a capacity to love that has truly left a void in my life since they have been gone. We had such fun throwing rocks in the pond, playing Uno, going fishing, reading stories. They were always good sports and such good little guys, always ready with a hug.

Of course, if Uncle Shane was around you better watch out!

Josh found this little lace glove in Tegan's drawer and seriously wore it ALL the time. Here they are doing their own version of Michael Jackson "THriller"!

One of their most favorite things to do was fill the balloons with helium and let them go. Little things would make their day!

This was on one of the trips up to the cabin. I miss my little cuddle buddies!

I love this picture of Parker and the boys walking back to the cabin after fishing in the pond!

Dad and Tegan tying on a lure. I'm so blessed with such a great family!

Yes, this summer had it's ups and downs, but the ups were pretty darn good and the downs weren't so bad, so overall I cannot complain. I think I am one of the luckiest people in the world to have such a wonderful family who loves being together and looks out after each other. I couldn't have made it without all of you!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2009-07-15T10:39:00.007-06:00

Well it has been 31 years of a wonderful life with my wonderful husband! We have six amazing kids and three even more amazing grandchildren! There have definitely been more good times than bad times and we are more in love than ever! For the last few years we have taken turns planning our anniversary "get-away". This year was Bart's turn and he planned a great trip to Flaming Gorge and a raft trip down the Green River. We stayed at Red Canyon Lodge. The following morning we got up and went to breakfast at Flaming Gorge Restaurant. We were leaving the restaurant and Bart asked me to drive, which is a little nontypical, but as I was going to get in the driver's side I heard "Hi Grandma". In the black van parked next to us was Parker, Christine, Tegan, Jackson, and Josh. I was sooo surprised! At first I thought how sweet to drive so far to come see us. Then I realized Bart was in on it and they were going on the raft trip with us. I was elated! How fun would this be. Anyway, we were blessed with the perfect day on the river and the little boys had a ball. They were very good the whole way. At one point Joshy got a little tired and wanted to go back! We explained we could only go one way on the river! Following are some pix of the great couple of days:

This is a view at one of the Red Canyon overlooks

This is the view from the front porch of our little cabin at Red Canyon Lodge. When we first pulled up there was a deer right in front!

This is in front of the dam (duh). A guy on a Harley was kind enough to take this!

The crew at the end of the rafting adventure

Getting ready to go
We are on our way. Notice Josh helping with the oar!

Stopped a couple of times to do a little fishing

On one stop Jackson happened to fall into the only cactus on the trail! We should have stayed in the boat!

Joshy enjoying some cookies, mostly the frosting!

More fishing

The cute girls

Tegan and her famous snake grass necklaces - Jackson really wanted one!

Of course we had to throw a few rocks into the river

Lots of fun and lots of pics!

2009-04-17T09:04:00.007-06:00

So a mother's dream is anytime ALL of her kids are home together, anyway that is this mother's dream, which happened the first weekend of April, Conference weekend. So much joy is brought to my soul when I have my family around me. We have so much fun and I love watching my kids interacting with each other. I cannot really express the gratitude I have for family. The Lord knew exactly what would be motivation for us live to obtain eternal life with him - to be with our family forever! Anyway, Conference weekend and Easter were some of the most rewarding times I have had recently. We are so thrilled to have Parker and Jenn and the boys living so close. It has been so much fun to have them stop by and to see them so often. Jenn keeps saying we will get sick of them, but I honestly don't know what it would take for that to happen! If we could just convince Tyler and Jackie of the perks of living in the Basin!

Shane is in Alabama now selling for APEX, so this was probably our last get together until this fall when he comes home. We will also be adding another little Morrill in August, so this picture is only good for a few months! We were very lucky to have dad in the picture, as it is tax season, but he sacrificed a few more hours of sleep to be with us!

Haha, Joshy getting a lesson on how to "go" in the boonies!!

The rest of these pictures are from Easter. The boys had fun coloring eggs Saturday night. Then easter egg hunting on Sunday. Parker hid some eggs for Tegan, she had a hard time finding the one hoisted up the flag pole!

March Madness!

2009-03-22T11:28:00.004-06:00

Happy 94th Birthday Mom and grandma! Mom turned 94 on the 20th. She had a special visit from Jackie and Cole who helped her celebrate with German Chocolate cake! Burke and Denny and a special friend, Lynne Smith also visited her on this special day and brought beautiful flowers. Julie Wilkerson, another special friend, came by earlier in the week. The highlight of the day was getting her hair done and going to McDonald's!

Cole is showing us how old grandma is!

To update you all on the History Fair. Tegan and her friends took 3rd place at District with their Butch Cassidy exhibit. They did a great job with a tremendous amount of competition.

We were soo excited to have Christine home for a few days of her spring break. Of course, Tegan was thrilled to have someone take time to paint rocks with her! We also went to the show "Race to Witch Mountain" and took a trip to Wal-Mart. Christine, thanks for remembering your family - we love to have you home.

We have also been very busy getting Grandma's house ready for Parker and Jenn who will be moving in on the 28th, which we are so excited to have them close for the summer. Here are a few items that were not claimed by the family. If you know of anyone who is interested, please advise them of this post or have them call me.

Beautiful oak dresser with mirror. Excellent condition.

Oak china hutch with metal and glass front panels. Light inside. Excellent condition.
Matching oak dining room table with four side chairs and two captain chairs. Also, includes two extra table leaves. Heavy, excellent quality.

White brand sewing machine with cabinet. Needs minor repair.

Misc pix

2009-03-10T19:52:00.007-06:00

A few recent pix:

Hubby, father, and son-in-law gave his "girls" flowers for Valentine's Day. What a sweetie!

Jackie and Tyler trusted us with their little guy for a couple of days, which was awesome! Of course nothing got done but kissing Cole, playing with Cole, feeding Cole, holding Cole, kissing Cole, watching Cole, kissing Cole - we just had so much fun and he was sooo good. We think Tegan got him to say "stair" haha, he is so smart!

What a smiley guy! and such a good eater!

So much fun!

Tegan and her friends Bailey and McKell entered the school history fair last week with Butch Cassidy as their subject. They did an excellent job and got first place, so on to District this Thursday! Yeehah, way to go girls!

Did you know Butch never shot a man? He also gave a couple $500 to pay the banker for their taxes on their farm and then robbed the banker on his way home! What you don't learn when your kids do projects in elementary school!!

It's all about the grandkids!! (seriously)

2009-02-14T11:49:00.009-07:00

As you know, I LOVE having family come home, especially the grandkids!! We had fun with Jackie and Cole visiting a couple of days while Tyler was at Klondike. I feel bad we only got a couple of pictures and one was Jackie's peed on shirt!!

Okay, so this is what little Cole did to his Mommy!! Oh Joy!!

. . . and this is what Mommy did to little Cole!!It was such great fun just to relax and have fun with little Cole. Of course, Jackie did all the work and just let grandma and Cole play!!

Next, we had Jackson and Josh for a few days while Jenn visited a friend in Idaho. They were such cute little guys and sooo good.

After I would get them out of the bath they would say "tuck me in Grandma". I'm not sure what that meant, but we would wrap them up tight in the towels! (Sorry if I got that wrong boys).

I am sure the highlight of their stay was the rides Tegan gave them on "grandma's stroller"!

(I hope everyone notices in the background the beautiful pantry door Tyler put in over the holidays. He cut, sanded, stained, installed!! What a guy!)

After our plans to go swimming at the rec center fell through, we went to the Dinosaur Museum instead. Even though they had been once they still had tons of fun. In fact, they were the only kids in there and had the whole place to themselves, which was great!

The boys thought they were so "brave" standing next to these big guys!

Needless to say I love my grandkids. Christine, Shane, and Tegan I hope you are not feeling too neglected! You know I love ya'. And sorry Jackie and Parker, but once you have kids they are welcome anytime - you need an appointment! Haha

Fun in the Sun!

2009-02-14T11:09:00.008-07:00

Back in January Bart had a continuing education class in St. George, so we took the opportunity to get out of the cold and accompany him down there. We were not disappointed and had wonderful weather. Of course, we went swimming at the hotel and did some shopping. It was a great little get-a-way. Thanks to Burke and Denny, and Deanne for taking care of grandma while we were gone!

Tegan and I rented some bikes and went all over the trails the first day. I actually got a little sunburn on my cheeks :( Tegan's helmet had a visor:) It was GREAT fun.

Tegan had her first experience at miniature golf! Nine years old and never played miniature golf - Poor sheltered child!

"uh-hum . . . Tegan a little shorter on the back swing"
This is Johnson Farm Dinosaur Discovery site. This was very interesting. This site was recently discovered in 2000 by a farmer. There are tons of dinosaur tracks in the petrified? fossilized? mud.

This is the single largest block of dinosaur tracks in the world on display!

Christmas and Winter Fun!

2009-01-30T15:56:00.007-07:00

So, I thought I would get another post done and say I at least got two done in one month!! Christmas was so fun this year, having EVERYONE home. It just doesn't happen often enough. However, we never got a family picture :( I don't think we slowed down long enough to get everyone together. Anyway, here are a few pictures:

Just grateful no injuries!!

I think I may use this one for blackmail some day!

Cutest boys ever!

Cole's first Christmas!

Tegan and friend Bailey tubing!

There is nothing better than family at home!

Our Happy Hawaiian Holiday!

2009-01-01T13:16:00.006-07:00

In November our family (Bart, Shane, Tegan, and I) went to Hawaii to watch Christine and the Utah State Aggies play in the WAC championships. Unfortunately, the volleyball team lost their first match to San Jose, who they beat twice in regular season play. However, this left us more time to see the island! This was our first time to Hawaii and I absolutely loved it! The weather was perfect except for one day it rained while we were at Pearl Harbor.

View from the balcony of our hotel room on Waikiki Beach.

At the Laie Hawaii temple

Shane and Tegan having fun at the Polynesian Culture Center - at least Shane is having fun!

Another pix at the PCC. Supposedly Elvis sat on this bent palm tree in a movie.

Tegan learning to hula at the luau.

Shane and Tegan having fun again at the beach.

Our good friends Brian and JoEllen Nurding showed us a great time and treated us to some great Hawaiian food. They have been great supporters of Christine and our family.

Tegan in front of a Banyan tree. These trees amazed me.

Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay was fantastic. Tegan even saw a sea turtle!

Lots of Fun!

2008-09-26T20:55:00.003-06:00

Josh is trying to get the very last kernel of popcorn! This was at the University of Utah tournament. The boys were such good kids and seemed to have a lot of fun.

Cole is so happy to be with Grandma! Oh, grandma is pretty happy too!

Josh and Jackson are such BIG helpers. Too bad for Jackie she had to hold Cole really awkwardly to let them help!

Puppies!

2008-09-07T18:35:00.005-06:00

So, here are the pictures of the puppies - thank you Jackie for your help! We have six puppies left for sale!

Continuation!

2008-09-05T16:54:00.003-06:00

Well, I am trying this again. I think this is way over my head! Part of the last post got deleted somehow. I was saying how much I love looking at my kids blog sites, which I check almost every day, and then said don't expect too much or to frequently from mine. Anyway, I better get help trying to put pictures on because this is too complicated. I am wanting to put some pictures on of our puppies that are almost four weeks old and will be ready to go to good homes in a couple more weeks. Anybody out there want an ADORABLE puppy?!

First time blogger!

2008-09-02T13:08:00.000-06:00

Well, I thought to keep up with my kids I needed to enter the world of blogging. I love looking at their sites and especially see how my grandkids are growing