Morrise Moments: 2012

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Engaged

Jacob and I decided that looking for a home to buy is a lot like dating. Let me explain:
First you look at many houses to try and figure what floor plan you prefer...you go on a lot of dates with different people trying to find what you like and don't like for a spouse. When you've found a home you like you put an offer on, usually here you stop looking at other homes for a while...same as when you start to date someone. Then if you're offer is accepted it's as if you've become engaged and then get married, usually. This happened for us a couple of times. We put a total of 4 offers in on homes. The first one we were outbid. We were devastated but still had faith that we'd find where we needed to be. The second and third time stung a bit more, on both occasions we had people tell us of the good of a chance we had. Then we didn't get it. Now going back to the analogy, it was as if we were dating seriously and made mention of marriage. We started to see us in the future and started to get really excited. Then they decided to go with someone else. It was really a lot more emotional that I would have thought... BUT our story has a happy ending. We are currently engaged with a home, if you will. It's in Lehi, only 2 minutes from Jacob's work. It has 4 bedroom, 3 bathrooms, 2 living rooms, a great room, a mudroom, wet bar, and an office/craftroom. Not to mention it comes with a nice playset in the backyard, that is fenced, I can't wait to send boys outside while I make dinner or clean up! We're pretty excited. We think we'll be able to move in anywhere from mid-January to first of February. We've been really lucky to like where we are living enough to be patient (9 months worth) in finding our new home. We really hope there's no snags in this one, because we're finally letting ourselves get excited!.

Isn't it so cute! Did I mention how cute the front porch is? The only draw back is it has no fireplace...but I think we'll survive.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Reality

I've started probably 5 posts trying to put into words the life lessons I've been learning, and what's been impressed in my heart, but none of them really seemed to be good enough. So I'll try one more time to combine them all. They all have some story that illustrates my new realization: my reality is better than anything I could imagine or try to create. I've tried to stop trying to make my family or myself fit into a mold that I think we should be in. But when I embrace this fact and go with the flow that my children are handing me, our life is much more magical. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be real.

It's ok if the boys fight, it means they are learning how to share and play with others. It's ok if we watch an extra half hour of T.V. if it means I get to clean the house uninterrupted (something that I need to be happy). It's ok if we don't have a fancy meal every night, sometimes oatmeal and toast is all we need, and I'm happier because I didn't have to fight off playing with the kids to spend hours making something. I'm learning I don't have to be perfect. This is a huge realization to me. All my boys need is a happy mom to read to them, "nuggle" them, and go on grand adventures with Lego's and treasure maps. I feel like I can do that, which puts the pressure off of me to be a mom that ends up on pinterest multiple times. My family doesn't care. They care if I'm happy and will give them love and attention. That I can do...most of the time.

Life is too precious to not enjoy everything you've been given, the hard and the easy. Here are some moments we've had lately.

Christopher says, "thank you mommy," after most things I do for him, even changing his diaper. I could eat him up!

On a "mommy date"

William has started to scoot around on the floor.

These two boys are in this position within seconds of being set next to each other. I hope someday they'll let me into their club.

Ryan smiles at me the second I walk into their room to wake them up; whether he's awake or asleep.

Ryan trying out Grandma Morrise's exersaucer

Holiday Cheer

Steven asks Christopher to make him things out of the Lego's that look exactly like his. Their favorite is called "elmo."

What we were doing 12/12/12 at 12:12
(sorry it's blurry, Christopher's always on the move)

Ryan on everyone's first time on the front runner

We had to walk around for a bit till the next train came

twins in the hood

Steven starts to tell me jokes only to stop because, "they're just too funny".

cleaning up leaves...

...then putting them in front of our neighbor's house

Steven and Christopher playing a game they made up: rolly rolly sandwich. (they twirl around until they fall down.)

I love the wonder in William's eyes

Yep, my reality rocks!

Thursday, November 29, 2012

3 Month Ryan

Ryan also turned three months on Thanksgiving, imagine that. Ryan is just a good mellow kid. He loves music, he'll coo and smile at you when you start to sing to him. He loves his baths and all his brothers. Ryan sleeps from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. and has 3 good 2 hour naps during the day. And when I go and get him from his crib, he is all smiles! He then is content to just sit or lay on his blanket for the rest of the time, I tell he's a gem! But if you do give him a little attention, he'll make it well worth your while in smiles. Ryan's started to scoot on his back in an arch, I feel he's way to small to be doing this. He's honestly the best little baby we could have asked for, we love having you in our family Ryan!

William's Three Months

William turned three months on Thanksgiving, he is getting so big! William loves his brothers, he'll often follow Steven and Christopher around with his eyes and grab Ryan's arm while they are laying down. He loves music, but hates his baths. He sleeps from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. with 3 good 2 hour naps during the day, I'm so blessed! But he is pretty specific with his sleeping; the other day I wrapped him in only one blanket instead of two and he was up every 2 hours after midnight. And earlier I laid him the down the opposite way I normally do, and he did the same thing. This kid knows what he wants and isn't afraid to let me know it! William is just a sweetheart though and loves to coo and smile at anyone who will give him a little attention. He has started to reach at toys when they are hanging in front of his face, but hasn't figured out how to grab them yet. When he's not eating or sleeping, he's content to sit in his bouncer or lay on his blanket. What a cute good boy we have, we love you William!

Friday, November 16, 2012

Soda Adventures

This past weekend we went to Soda Springs for a reception of a good friend of mine. It was so great to see her and of course I left the camera home, so I didn't get a picture of her. But know she was gorgeous.

The trip started in the crazy snow storm. We picked Jacob up from work and left from there, luckily the more we headed north, the better the weather. A couple miles into the Idaho border we hit our first deer; I was driving. There were 2 or 3 deer in our lane and one in the other, so there was no going around them. Also, going 80 mph there was no stopping in time, so I tried to go in between two and hit the tail end of one on the passenger side. It all happened so fast and I'm glad I had good instinct so there was really minimal damage to the body of the car. Jacob said it felt like we ran over a cardboard box, I believe my first words were, "did I just hit a deer?" We stopped probably a mile away, after the shock wore off, we don't know if the deer made it. But our car ran smoothly the rest of the way and all the way home. We were really lucky it wasn't as bad as it could have been; I'm pretty sure the kids didn't even know we hit a deer.

Anyway we had a great time with family despite the rocky start. Steven took this picture to show what it looked like at Grandma and Grandpa's. He begged my dad to build a snowman that night with a flashlight.

but settled for jammies and a piano concert instead.

The next morning we went out to play in the snow, but it was too powdery. No snowmen were able to be built, but fun was still had.

I hadn't gotten all the snow gear out, so instead of boots they have plastic sacks over their shoes.

Great-Grandma with Ryan

Great-Grandma with William

Halloween

This Halloween was not as elaborate as ones in the past. We went to a pumpkin patch with my family like years past, but I have a bit more on my plate and therefore wasn't able to spend a lot of time and energy on the boy's costumes. Steven told me for months that he wanted to be a ghost and of course Christopher wanted to as well. We thought of doing a Charlie Brown ghost costume, but realized that wasn't the smartest for small children, so I came up with these costume. No they are not cat burglars, they are ghosts.

We had a trunk or treat the Thursday before Halloween where Christopher got his first taste of the joy of Halloween. Then Halloween night after dinner at Grandma Morrise's we went out for a second time with these cousins.

William wore the giraffe costume that Steven did at their age and we bought this Zebra costume on e-bay for Ryan to match him.

Grandpa Morrise dressed up too.

* side note: The night of trunk-or-treat I let the boys eat one piece of candy before bed, Christopher chose a long tootsie roll. (You should know he's notorious for taking a long time to each things, taking them in and out of his mouth.) I finally got sick of seeing this and set a timer that his candy would need to be gone before it went off. This did the trick. I need to remember this in the future.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Moments

I've been thinking a lot about the moments that make up our day. After Christopher was born I lived for nap times, I felt like a horrible mother, but it was true. But now I live moment to moment. There are really hard times, but they are usually followed by sweet times. I'm trying to be in the moment, not concerned with what needs to be accomplished or planned. Trying to savor my children as they are right then.

So here are some moments I'd like to remember in years to come.

Christopher apparently will lay by the door, stick his chubby fingers underneath and say something like, "daddy? no. mommy? no. bama? (grandma) no." It's adorable, but kind of creepy when you see this from a dark hallway when you're child should be asleep.

William smiling up at me as I'm singing him before naptime.

Hearing Steven and Christopher screaming at each other, then hearing, "sorry Christopher"

Ryan smiling at Steven and Christopher playing near by.

Christopher in the car saying, "Eating yucky shoe." At least he knows what he's doing is gross, a step in the right direction. And yes, he was eating said shoe.

Watching Steven and Luke (his cousin) trick or treating. After every house, they'd compare their treats, then walk and talk oblivious that the rest of us.

William and Ryan smiling and cooing at the same time.

Steven hugging me and saying, "I love you, mom"

Sitting by a duck pond with Christopher on my lap talking about ducks, with the wind blowing the leaves from the trees above us into the pond. I felt like I was in a magical fall snow-globe.

Steven guiding Christopher down stairs when they wake up so Jacob and I can sleep longer in the morning.

Steven taking abstract pictures.

A picnic in the car up Nebo Loop. All the boys were crying. Jacob and I laugh at what a perfect moment it was to be surrounded by such beauty outside of the car and surrounded by beautiful chaos in the car.

Steven , Christopher, and I playing on the slides at the park...