Thanksgiving Day

We went to our friends Rich and Ashley's house in Leesburg for Thanksgiving dinner. It was so nice of them to invite us and we had a lot of fun. It was my first Thanksgiving in my entire life without family so it was hard. I missed everyone so much but my parents come a week from tomorrow so I'm super excited about that!!! Anyways, here are some pics from the evening...

What are the chances I could get all three of these guys to smile cute at the same time? Tyce had just woken up from his nap...

I think this is the only time all night that Jackson wasn't happy, he said he didn't want his picture taken. The twins had lots of fun coloring and playing with Rich and Ashley's Mr. Potato Head set. Had to get a picture of all four of us...An attempt at a family picture...Another attempt...

It was a fun night full of good food and good friends. Tyce was his usual whiney self which made things difficult as always. He goes in spurts where he's happy and where he's whiney. This whiney stage has lasted way too long, like 3 weeks now. It's getting old very fast.

I Am Thankful To Be a Stay at Home Mom

Today I am grateful that I get to wake up to these three guys... I am thankful I get to change their poopy diapers, clean up their messes, wipe their tears (and noses), give them bandaids and kisses when they have an owie, make them meals and beg them to eat it, give them cuddles, be with them in the morning, afternoon, and night. I believe that being a stay at home mom is one of the hardest jobs on earth. However, I also believe there is nothing more rewarding a woman can be doing with her time. No I don't get paychecks, promotions, or awards but I get a "my mommy makes the bestest dinners." Or "I love you THIS much mommy." Or "I don't want to go because I will misted (miss) you too much mommy." I feel so blessed to be able to be with my boys as they learn and grow and I never miss a thing. I am the first thing they see when they wake up and the last thing they see when they go to bed, and I wouldn't have it any other way. They are growing up way too fast and I try to treasure this time with them because I know that, all too soon, they won't hold my hand or cuddle on the couch with me or ask me to read stories with them. I am so blessed that God sent me three healthy, loving, special boys that I get to call mine. I love you Jackson, Tyce, and Josh!!!

I Am Thankful for My Parker...

Today I am thankful for this man...I've been having a hard time deciding what to write about today. I have been very sick for 4 days now, I've been thinking about how my entire family is getting ready to have Thanksgiving at my sister's house, and how all my in laws are all heading down to Vegas today for Christine's WAC volleyball tournament and...as always...I am missing out. I have been dreading this week for quite a while, because it will be my first Thanksgiving in 27 years where I will be without my family. But then I thought...Jenn, you ARE with family. You're with your little family, your husband and three kids. Well, dinnertime at my house is NOT FUN, so thinking of Thanksgiving dinner with my three kids did not cheer me up. However, Thanksgiving with my honey...that's enough to bring a smile to my face.

Everyone who knows Parker knows that I got the better end of this deal. He is everything a girl could want, and more. He is unconditionally loving and accepting, dislikes contention and is therefore very calming, very devoted to me and our marriage, worthy priesthood holder, gorgeous, super fun and patient daddy, always makes me feel good about myself, he is...my very best friend. There is nothing Parker and I can't talk about, we are so close and so open with eachother. He is so humble even though he has so much to be proud about. Probably my favorite thing about Parker is that I have never ever doubted his love for me, which is so comforting.

So I guess, even though I will be spending Thanksgiving without my mom's delicious gravy, my grandma's home made hot rolls, or Tyler's delicious mashed potatoes, I will be with my man, my husband, my best friend, my Parker. I am so blessed that he chose me. I am so blessed to be able to spend eternity with him.

I Am Thankful for Friends...

Today I am thankful for my dear friends, childhood friends all the way up to my new east coast friends. I've always been a very social person who loves having lots of friends to hang out with, laugh with, cry with, and chat with. I feel so blessed that I as I look at my 27 years of life I have made friends with so many special people that have influenced my life for good. I always have someone I can call and I feel like there's always someone who will understand. I also miss most of my friends terribly, as most of them live much farther west, but I still know that they're only a phone call away. I would love to list each of my dear friends and write something about them but I fear I would forget someone. You know who you are. I love you all so much and thanks for your friendship.

I Am Thankful for My Siblings...

Today I am thankful for my siblings, all of them, even the ones who cheer for Utah football. :) I feel so blessed that I was able to grow up with two wonderful sisters who kept my life ever so entertaining. I also feel so blessed to have married into a family with even more wonderful siblings! Not only do I feel lucky to have them in my own life, but also in the lives of my kids. Jackson, Josh, and Tyce are so lucky to have such fun, loving, and involved aunts and uncles.

Here's Jason, my little sister Lindsay's husband. He is a very happy person and we're always laughing when he's around. He also treats Lindsay really good, he even caved and bought her a cat! Plus, he and his dad own the Great Harvest in Provo so he's always happy to give us some yummy bread and cinammon rolls!!! Ok so this may not be the best picture of Lindsay (you can see how beautiful she is in the above picture) but this best explains my feelings about my little sister. This was us saying goodbye at the airport when I moved out to the east coast. You can't see my face, but it looks much like Lindsay's, devastated. Linds and I were not close growing up but about 5 years ago we started getting really close. She is an amazing aunt to my boys and loves them as if they were her own. Linds is always there for me and we talk about 10 times a day. She knows pretty much everything going on in my life whether it's my bank account balance or Tyce's last poop!

This is my older sister Dana and her husband David (ok and their gorgeous kids). Dana and I were really close growing up and have more memories that only her and I share than I could ever even begin to explain. It's nice having another stay at home mom to talk to when my kids are driving me crazy. I miss them all so much!This is the most recent picture I could find of Jackie and Tyler, they're on the far left. Jackie is Parker's younger sister and Tyler is her husband. Jackie is such a sweet person and someone I wish I could be more like. She is such a wonderful and devoted mom, caring and unselfish person, and she welcomed me right into the family. Her husband Tyler is just as awesome. He is SO friendly and happy and always willing to do anything for anyone anytime. He's also a great dad to Cole and Kate. They are such a happy couple with two adorable lucky kids! Here's Parker's younger brother, Shane. Him and I certainly have had our differences but he's a great uncle to the boys and does bring a lot of spice to the Morrill family. Jack and Josh love him so much and think he's so fun. Jackson one time said, "Shane is just like a daddy, just without the homework!" Well put Jack!
Auntie Kersteen, where do I begin? Jackson adores her and was attached to her hip the entire month she lived with us. She's a super fun aunt and was always willing to play with them no matter how tired she was or what was going on. Christine is a very unselfish person with her time, money, and energy and I love that about her. Her and I are very close and have a lot in common. We have a very open and close relationship that I really treasure. I'm hoping we can convince her to come live out here after she graduates!!! Last but not least is Tegan, Parker's littlest sister. What more could the little ones want then an aunt who's only 11? They LOVE playing with her and call Grandma and Grandpa Morrill "the ones that have Tegan." Haha. I also love Tegan because when I first met Parker she was only 3 and she was SO cute and loved me right away, which made me feel at ease around his family. She is very accepting and loving and brings so much joy to the family!

There ya go! I bet everyone is now jealous because I have such awesome sisters, brothers in law, and sisters in law! I am thankful for my relationship with each of them and even more thankful for their love for my children. Love you all!!!

Preschool Thanksgiving Pow Wow

Today the boys had their Thanksgiving Pow Wow at preschool. It was their first school program, which of course made me all sentimental. They are growing up way too fast! It was adorable. They were pilgrims. They sang lots of songs and did one sign language song, then we had a "feast." Thanks to my wonderful friend Tracy for watching Tyce for me, it was so nice to not have to worry about him! Here are some pics...

Here's their whole class: Dalton, Jackson, Maggie, Geovanni, Emily, Josh, Caden, and Noah. That's their teacher, Mrs. Morton, in the back. Have you ever seen two cuter Pilgrims???

Haha, I've never thought Jack had big ears but they sure do look big here with his hat pushing them down!

Jack and Josh with their best friend, Dalton...Jack (pouting), Josh, Dalton, and Geovanni...

It was a fun morning and I'm glad Parker was able to come too! Not fun spending an hour in traffic driving him to the metro but...worth it. :)

I Am Thankful for the Gospel...

Today I am thankful for my knowledge of the gospel and for everything it has brought to my life. I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves me and is there for me whenever I need him, for big things and for small things. I am grateful that I am never alone. I am thankful for my Savior and for his sacrifice for me. I am so very grateful for eternal families and the comfort it gives me that, if I live my life accordingly, I can spend eternity with those I love. I am grateful for the Book of Mormon and the comfort it gives all those who read and study it. I am grateful for prayer, and for the fact that Heavenly Father not only hears our prayers, but answers them. I am grateful for my calling in the Young Women organization and for the opportunity I have to study for my lessons each week and to be constantly uplifted and edified by these teenage girls and also by the leaders I work with. I am grateful for the ward family and the support it offers to everyone. I am grateful for the opportunity my children have to go to primary each week and sing songs about Jesus and learn about him. Not a day goes by where I am not grateful for my testimony of these things. I can't imagine my life without the gospel and I only hope I can be worthy of everything my Heavenly Father has blessed me with.

I Am Thankful for Parker's Job...

Today I am thankful for Parker's job as an attorney for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. I tend to focus on the negatives of his job (far far away from family, hour commute, longer hours, etc) but I need to realize how blessed we are as a family. Parker has a stable job with the Federal Government with great benefits! What more could we ask for, especially in this economy? He is also really happy working there which is, again, such a blessing! I am so grateful for his willingness to work so hard to provide for his family!

This is the only picture of the building I could find online. He works in DC right next to Union Station... Here's my cutie at his desk when we stopped there on a Saturday...

I Am Thankful for My Parents...

Today I am thankful for my wonderful parents. Not only for what they did my first 18 years of life (or maybe despite that? haha!) but for our relationship now. Even though we live across the country we remain so close. My mom and I talk at least a couple times a day and she is one of the first people I call when I have news, good or bad. She is always there for me whether it's for nursing advice, cooking advice, parental advice, or just to chat about my day. My dad and I have always been close and I'm happy to see that that has not changed, in fact, it's only been strengthened. They continue to do so much for us and I appreciate their constant support and love. I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH AND CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU IN A FEW WEEKS!!! I am also thankful for my parents IN LAW! I feel so blessed to have such sweet, loving, accepting, and giving second parents (I prefer that term). Bart is always willing to help us out with handy man stuff and always willing to change diapers and hold crying kids! How lucky am I??? He also is always happy to treat us to dinners and entertainment which is so nice because, living out here with no family, we never get that! Michelle is all I could've ever wanted in a mother in law. She is so great with my boys and very unselfish, patient, and loving. She would do anything for any of her kids, including those of us who are not blood related, and I am so grateful for that. I love them both!!!

I am so thankul that I have two sets of parents who are always there for me and my little family.

I Am Thankful for Twins...

In the spirit of the season I decided to do a post each day from now until Thanksgiving on something I am thankful for.

Today I am thankful for twins. Yes, you read that right. I am thankful for twins. In fact, I dare say I wish Tyce had been a twin. Or, maybe even I wish I had triplets! People think twins are so hard. They are, extremely extremely extremely difficult and exhausting for the first 18 months, don't get me wrong. But after that...it is SO wonderful! They play so well together and get along so well. They never have to be entertained. Listening to them play and make up games is hilarious! I know siblings that are not twins play together as well, it's just fun to listen to two children the exact same age play together. They are so creative and they share so well. They always have eachother, they are best of friends. As badly as I wanted a girl, I also love that they are the same sex. That way they can play the same things (mainly dinosaurs these days). While I love that they are twins I also love that they are very different, both in looks and personality. I love you Jackson and Josh and am so grateful that you two came in a pair, because mommy wouldn't have it any other way!

This morning I woke up to them talking in their room about the best way to make a fort. It's hilarious so listen to their strategies. Eventually I went in and helped them...
I found this picture on my camera, one of the twins must have taken in. But this is how they like to watch movies, haha, much more comfortable than a couch!
I am so thankful for twins, for my precious twins.

The Miracle of the Lost Keys...

Last Thursday Lindsay and I took the boys on a walk through the forest by their future elementary school. It's a very pretty walk with the leaves changing and falling. We got about three quarters through the trail when I realize my car keys have fallen out of my pocket. This caused me great panic because we only have ONE set of keys (Parker accidentally threw our other set away and we haven't been able to pay the $200 to get a new set). We turned right around and back tracked our steps, kicking the piles of leaves aside hoping to find them. About halfway through we stopped and I said a prayer, asking Heavenly Father to help us find my keys so we could get home before it got cold and dark. We finished retracing our steps and still had not found them. We decided to start over again. We got about halfway through and Jackson says, "maybe we should say a SECOND prayer mommy." Lindsay was a little bit behind us so I asked Jackson to say it and he said a sweet and simple prayer: "Heavenly Father, please bless us to find our keys, thankful for our blessings, please bless us to find our keys, thankful for our blessings, please bless Lindsay to help us find our keys." Not five seconds after he said amen, we looked behind us and Lindsay was holding up my keys. She had found them in an area that we had most definitely searched before. It was such an amazing experience. I was so hoping for this teaching moment for the twins. I took the chance to explain to them about prayers and how Heavenly Father listens and answers our prayers. The spirit was so strong and Linds and I both had tears in our eyes. Coincidence? No way. It was Heavenly Father's answer to Jackson's faith filled prayer. I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father and his love for me. I am grateful that, while there are people all over the world who have challenges beyond my imagination, he still cares, listens, and answers me and my little children. I am grateful for the faith and prayer of my little 4 year old son who helped us find our keys so we didn't have to walk home in the cold and dark.

Week with Auntie Lindsay!

I just got back from dropping Linds off at the airport, I'm so sad already! She was here for a week but it seemed like only a few days! The boys absolutely adore her and she spoiled them all week. Her and I get along so well and have so much fun together, it was just a wonderful week. We really didn't do anything all that fun and exciting, just hung out and laughed a lot! Oh, and ate a lot! Haha, Linds and I are both now addicted to Popcorn, Indiana Kettle Corn. AMAZING! Anways, here are some pics from the week...

Tycee loved being tickled... Lindsay probably read the same two books to Tyce about 200 times over the course of the week, he'd go pick one out then back up into her lap. Haha, it was so cute...

He also played with her cell phone all week, amazingly it didn't break!!!Jackson and Linds reading the Friend...Josh had fun pouring bark dust down the slide where Lindsay was sitting on the bottom...Cute guys with their Auntie Lindsay...Friday night Lindsay babysat for us and Parker and I went to dinner AND a movie!!! It was a wonderful night...

I love my little sis so much and love how close we are. I already miss her so much but appreciate her spending a week out here with us. The hard thing is...I won't see her for 9 months!!! That's way too long!!! I need to win the lottery so I can fly everyone I love out here. :)

Jackson's Surgery...

This morning Jackson had a lesion on his face removed. Since he's so young they had to put him under anesethic so he wouldn't move. The procedure was fairly simple, it's just always scary putting a child under. We got there bright and early at 6am and Jack was in a GREAT mood...

Here's a pic of the lesion... Here he is coloring in the waiting room...

He was pouting because HE wanted to take a picture...So I let him take one of me (NOT going to post that one, haha) and then he was happy again...The surgery went well. He was the cutest guy before he went back. All the doctors and nurses loved him. They let me go back to the OR while they put him to sleep, then I left. When I came back after they were done Jackson was seriously freaking out. He was screaming, kicking his legs, banging his head against the bed rails, scratching his face and neck, you name it. It was kinda scary. He didn't like the bandaid on his face, haha. The IV in his arm didn't bother him. The little bandaid on his face, no way. He went crazy for about 15 minutes and then started begging to go home. Luckily they got us out of there fast and he calmed down soon after we got home. Here he is laying on the couch watching Curious George...

A couple hours later he was completely fine and is currently downstairs playing in the garage with his brothers while Parker works on the broken garage door. I'm glad it's over and hope the scar on his face isn't too bad when it's all healed. I was very happy with the hospital and the staff, they made it a good experience for us.

In other news...LINDSAY COMES IN TWO DAYS!!! We're all so excited to have her come stay with us for a week!

Jackson's Concern...

Today in the car on the way to preschool Jackson says:

"Mommy, how are you going to pay me and Josh a car when we get older since you don't have monies for toys and candy now?"

"Well, honey, daddy and I will save our money. Could you and Josh share a car?"

"Yes! Joshy can drive TO preschool and I can drive BACK from preschool! OR, mommy, we could get a car with TWO steering wheels so we can BOTH drive!"

"Ok, that's a good idea Jackson! What color car do you want?"

"I want a pink car, of course mommy."

Haha, poor little Jack is already concerned about how we're going to afford to buy them a car in 12 years. I guess that's a concern for me too though! 12 years, our law school loan will be paid off, we'll be ok. :) I think I should get this on video though that they agreed to share a car so that when they're 16 they'll have no choice! I also think I should stop using the "mommy has no money" excuse and start telling them..."you really just don't NEED another movie!" Then maybe Jack won't be so concerned about his mommy and daddy's financial situation.

Four Days Till Auntie Lindsay Comes!

A couple days ago we made a chain counting down the days till my little sister comes to visit! The boys are very excited for her to come and taking a link off the chain every day is the highlight of their morning. Josh gets to take off the blue ones and Jackson does the brown ones.

Here's Josh this morning taking off a link.. Jack wanted to be in a picture too...

I am SO excited to have Linds come for a week! I miss her so much and know that the week will just fly by because we'll have so much fun. The boys are really excited too. Yesterday Josh says, "Mommy I will NOT be shy when Auntie Lindsay comes-because I already know her!" Jackson says, "I will run to Auntie Lindsay at the airport. I hope she puts her arms out for me. Sometimes daddy doesn't." Hahaha.

Tyce had his 15 month check up yesterday and he is a healthy big boy! He weighed 25 pounds and was in the 60% for weight. 95% for height. 75% for head. Looks like he'll be tall like his daddy and Jackson! Haha, I'm thinking he'll surpass Josh soon! I love my baby and he is growing up too fast!