Another Morrison gets married!

Kristi and Steven were married on Nov. 20th at the Dallas Temple and had a beautiful reception there. Unfortunately, "The Dad" and I were unable to go (as we're still paying for summer vacations ;)  but we were lucky to have a sweet little Open House in Utah. It was wonderful to see two people so in love and ready to take on the world!  Congratulations Kristi and Steven!!

Weddings are also a wonderful time to catch up with family. We loved seeing the Clements, Bob Dance,   nieces and nephews.  Its always a little piece of heaven when family can get together for some catching up.

Its another school year! 2010-2011

Summer was too much fun!! So much fun that we're out of "fun" money and out of time!  College kids have gone back to school. Alex began 3rd grade and is thoroughly enjoying Mrs. Olsen's class (because she has snacks) and Josh began his first year of home online school. He still attends band and seminary at his old jr. high.  Perhaps the biggest back to school news is that Chelsea is in DC this semester taking classes at UCDC and interning for Congressman Berman of California. So far she's reported back that her roommates and dorm are wonderful!  Good luck Chelsea!! Enjoy your semester at our nations capitol!

First Bates grandbaby!

Isaac Daniel Bates
7 lb 5 oz, 21.5 in long
Born August 16, 2010 at 12:28 PM

The first Shannon and Larry Bates grandbaby!!!  Congrats to Hilary and Sam!  And if there weren't enough. Spencer and Andrea announced they were expecting their first baby!!  WOW!! I think its a trend with the Bates!

Its been awhile....time to catch up

I had every intention of keeping my blog updated.....but then summer happened. And we did stuff. Fun stuff. And nothing happened with the blog.

We started summer off a little early by attending Ty's Basic Training graduation in Columbia, SC. Being that there's NOTHING in Columbia, SC, we added a couple days to visit Charleston and Charlotte. Jay and I had a much needed getaway.  True to form - the South had delicious restaurants!

Next - we had our annual Fourth of July Beach trip and the weather was cooler than we had hoped. But, alas, the sun came out by noon and we had an amazing time!! Great boogie boarding, eating and just hanging out! Alex had a try at boogie boarding, but much preferred hopping a ride  on Mike and Adam. He was Mike's shadow, following him everywhere (which was a nice break for this mom ) ;)

On our way home the kids and I decided to stop by and visit my sister, Rose and her family in Lake Havasu, AZ. She was there for her annual trip and had a new toy to try. This boat was amazing!!!

Alex LOVED floating in the lake with his life jacket. He's been asking to go back ever since we left as he things Tia Rosie lives there. 

As if that weren't enough- as soon as we got back, the girls went camping at Flaming Gorge, then had friends over for a few days (LOVED having all the kids home with their friends) all between the next trip.......Branson, MO.   Jay, Josh, Alex and myself went out to Branson to meet up with the grandparents and extended family.  That was a great time!  The boys really enjoyed spending time with the grandparents and the Wildes - what a fun group!!  Despite the humidity (which us Yanks can do without!)  the food was amazing. We managed to squeeze in a quick trip to Nauvoo, Il - definitely worth every extra mile to get there!  It was a great treat for the boys to take a picture in front of the Ashby home (ancestor of the Morrison line).

And that ends our summer trips of 2010! Whew! My credit card can't take anymore!  Now we're getting ready for school as Alex begins 3rd grade next week and Josh begins 9th grade next week as well.  In a few short weeks, Josh turns 14! Wow!  Now that the boys are getting older, they are doing more and more "father-son" activities. Alex is counting down to their camp out, Josh is excited for his day with dad at the waterpark and I'm making plans on how best to use my free-time ;))

Another year of birthdays

Its hard to believe that Ty turned 21 this year! Its even harder to believe that we didn't get to celebrate his birthday because he was away at Basic.  So the next 2 up for birthdays are Jacob and Maggie. This year they turned 19! Wow!

Ty graduates from Basic!! Whew!

It was a long road for Ty - but he did it!  10 weeks at Fort Jackson, SC and he officially graduated.  The 2 mile run was perhaps the greatest struggle, but Ty managed to meet the requirements. Graduation day was great day indeed! Now he's at Fort Leonard Wood, MO training to drive all sorts of vehicles. This seems a little more of what Ty likes to do.

Alex's First Soccer Game!

Alex is the first of our kids to play soccer!  He had his first game and I think he was a bit nervous.  As we're all still trying to figure out the game, I'm so grateful for the soccer moms who are out there teaching and cheering the boys on! We're so lucky to live in such a great area!

Spring Break 2010

We had a busy but very fun Spring Break.  We started off with a fun trip to Disneyland (Alex's new favorite place).  With the terrific incentive of "Give a Day, Get a Day"  we quickly took advantage of that offer.  We tied quilts for Project Linus (5 total) and rec'd free one day entry to Disneyland! What a treat! The day started off with rain but tapered off to showers - which meant no crowds (well, very little).  By the end of the day we had absolutely beautiful day!  The boys really enjoyed having Madison and Jeremy with us.

Rugby 2010

Well, its another season of Rugby for Jacob, but this time he opted to play with Skyline instead.  He's hoping to get into the football practice squad for the Utes, but rugby will need to suffice until that happens. So far he's found out how out of shape he was and is working diligently to strengthen and gain more endurance. At the last game, he was actually the kicker - a first for Jacob. Here's to a healthy, injury-free rugby season!

Ty is gone to Basic Training

Its official! Ty is now a private in the National Guard and is gone to Fort Jackson, SC.  He will be there 10 weeks for basic training.  Jay and I will be attending graduation in Mid May. We'll post his mailing address as soon as we get it.  He is restricted to letters and photos only. No treats!  Once he's done with Basic, he continues for another 7 weeks for training.  Somewhere in between he will spend a little time at home.  Although this is a big step for Ty, we're very excited and proud of our Guardsman!  Hoorah!

Projects

So what do you do when you have no money and a lot of paint. Paint something!  I had wanting to re-do our faded looking stair rail/banister for quite sometime, but had no guts to really do it.  I was going through my old leftover paint selections and found an almost full can of Rustoleum Expresso Satin - Voila!  I started out what seemed to be so tedious. I still have so much to touch up and re-do. But you know what happens when you paint something - you have to paint what's next to it because now it looks pretty dull. So my living re-do, re-do continues to be our "lifestyle"

Winter Olympics 2010

Its been a wonderful winter Olympics - best that I can recall. There seemed to be a true Olympic spirit, perhaps because Canada has been there as an ally to the U.S. - especially after 911.  So many great athletes who have worked for years for their olympic moment.  As a way of making the closing ceremonies special, I decided to make Canadian Nanaimo Bars - a favorite Canadian treat.

The great thing about making these was learning about custard powder - a whole new world of desserts has become available to me.  I had no idea that our local market - Kohlers - carried so many British and Dutch imports.  In a way its our own little "Trader Joes" right down the street from me.

This time around I really enjoyed the great stories about Canada and its many provinces. There is so much more than I realized. I really hope that our passports come in soon so that we can venture to Victoria BC over spring break.

Alex's First Blue and Gold Banquet 2010

Alex is having a great time in cubs  - thanks to fantastic leaders.  This year the Blue and Gold was "Fiesta" theme - with a great dinner, fun pinatas, father/son cakes and awards.