Josh Plays at the High School

Saturday night Josh had his first game at the high school under the lights!  He was very excited and a little nervous. 

Here are some pics from the evening...

Poor Jack warming the bench with his broken arm...

 Getting a drink after warmups...

 Jackson is such a good sport about not being able to play...

 Josh's cheering section, complete with Auntie Nicole visiting from Oregon (more on that later) and Jadeh...

 Love this picture...

 Hahaha, one of Tyce's favorite things to do at football games...pee in the grass...

 Josh is the one in the back looking over at me...

 Josh is the one closest to the sideline running...

 I love this picture, Josh came off the field and patted Jackson on the shoulder...

Josh played both offense and defense the entire game!  He played safety, defensive line, right guard, and left guard.  He didn't really have any big plays but I think he is really starting to understand the game which is great for his age.  The Steelers won 21-0, fourth shut out of the year!  I love love love watching him play football, it's my favorite sport and I love the whole environment of being in the high school stadium.  Way to go Josh!!!

Happenings...

Of course right after I do a blog post on how wonderful Josh has been he suddenly decides to act up.  The other day he was being very whiney and disobedient and driving me crazy.  As I was in the kitchen making dinner he was hard at work making me this...

I am so sorry for crying mommy...

SO sweet of him to feel bad and apologize all on his own.  I love his sweetness!!!

In other news...Saturday night when we got home from family pictures (coming soon!) Tyce walked up to Parker with a handful of glass and said...look daddy!  After freaking out that it was an intruder we realized it's a double pane and the outside pane was still intact.  SO...that led us to wonder how the glass broke?!  Well, long story short none of the boys are fessing up that it was them.  We can't find anything around that they would've used.  We are completely stumped.  However, until someone confesses no TV and no treats!!!  We'll see how long it takes...



Update...

Summer is over and the Morrill family is settling into the new routine of 1st grade, football, and Parker's new job.  I just wanted to do a quick update on everyone...

Joshy has been amazing lately.  He has been getting up on his own as soon as his alarm goes off, getting dressed himself, then making his own breakfast.  By the time I come downstairs...he's ready to go!  He's also been super happy in the mornings which makes our mornings so much easier.  He is really smart and seems to sense when mommy needs help, or when mommy is about to lose it.  He is always offering to help me with whatever I am doing.  When he can sense I am having a rough time, he is quick to give me hugs, kisses, and tell me he loves me.  Josh has never really been my sensitive one so it's wonderful to see this side of him.  He is also incredibly...grown up.  He is very smart and can do so many things that really do help me out.  He takes great care of Tyce and Jackson...in many ways it's like he's the older brother!  He is more patient with his brothers than I am as well.  The other day he was making a fort for Jackson (who, if you know at all, is VERY hard to please) and Jackson kept complaining that it wasn't "cool" or big enough.  I would've just given up but Joshy kept trying and trying until finally Jack was happy.  Josh is definitely mommy's boy lately, he is all hugs and compliments to me.  I LOVE YOU JOSH!!!

Here he is putting the milk away after breakfast...

Last night I read stories to the boys before bed (usually Parker does story time but he was working late) and I was SHOCKED at how well Jackson is reading!  He checked out a new book from the library that he had never read before and that was far from a beginners book and he read every single word!  So far I've yet to find a book he struggles with.  He has a very good memory for the words he learns and he also sounds words out that he doesn't know.  If the sentence doesn't make sense to him he will re read it until it does.  This is complete opposite of Josh who, if he doesn't know a word, says it really quietly and fast hoping I won't catch it and make him figure it out, haha.  On his last report card in kindergarten his reading level was "above average" and I would say that is pretty accurate!  I am so proud of him and LOVE listening to him read to me!

Here he is reading before school...

Oh, and then there's Tycee!  He has been much easier now that the twins are back in school, they were fighting quite a bit.  He self entertains really well.  He has quite the imagination..one day he played with three grapes from his lunch for over an hour having them talk to eachother and what not.  He loves to play trains, dinosaurs, cars, pirates, and build things.  I thought he had given up naps but lately he has been really wanting and needing them so I try to give him a nap two to three times a week.  He has become more independent and can finally dress and undress by himself.  He is not all sweetness and smiles though.  He's learned the word NO, he's learned how to throw a fit, he's an inconsistent eater, and is just a typical three year old!!! 

Here he is in his "new" jammies that were Jackson's when he was three...

Parker has been at his new job for almost a month now.  It has been an adjustment for everyone that's for sure.  The boys and I miss him, he comes home on the last train which gets in at 8pm, and I think he misses us too.  Last night was his first late late night, not leaving the office until 10pm then having to take the metro and a cab home and getting home about 11:30pm.  He usually has to work a little on the weekends too.  I can tell the new job has been good for him but also hard on him.  He's tired and stressed but enjoying it at the same time.  I am so proud of him and am trying my best to support him and not complain!

What a good husband, letting me grab a picture of him packing up for work... 

 I took the boys to school the other day and grabbed pics of them at their desks, Josh is in the way back...

 Jackson is in the way front...

Oh, and Jackson got his cast put on last week.  We paid a little extra to get the removable one which we can take off for showers.  However, the cast itself still stinks so bad and it's only been a week!  AH!  He has to wear it for four weeks and then we'll decide on whether he should play in the last two football games. 

Here he is when he first got it on, he thought it was cool for about a day then he got sick of it...

Anyways, that's about it!  I am doing well, just staying busy with the gym, keeping up with the house, my stake calling, football practices and games, homework, etc.  It is tough not having Parker home at nights, I am on my own to do homework, dinner, showers, and bedtime every night.  I am missing my family a lot lately.  My older sister is going through a hard divorce and I wish I could be there for her and her kids.  My little sister, well I just always miss her and wish I was there watching little Luke grow up.  I miss my parents so much.  I miss my inlaws so much.  I miss my grandparents so much.  Especially with Parker's new job there are so many times I feel so lonely and alone and wish I had family nearby to comfort me.  Thank heaven for some good friends out here though, they keep me going. 

We are looking forward to lots of visitors coming over the next few months, first up: NICOLE!  She comes next week! 

First Football Game!

Today was opening day for the Manassas Park Youth Football League (MPYFL) and the twins also had their first game!  Here are some pics of them at opening day...

Josh is third from the front and Jack is the blondie back by the coach...

I knew once we got to the field for the game that they'd have to run out with their team for warm ups so I grabbed some pics before we left...

 Parker and I in our Steelers "spirit wear"...

 This is warm ups (hence no helmets) which is as far as Jack ever got (more on that later)...

 If you look close enough you can see that Jackson is BAWLING...

 He hurt his hand...

 Joshy on the sidelines...

 Halftime snacktime...

 Josh looks so small out there (he's in between 43 and 58), he's the second littlest on the team.  He played safety and defensive line...

Where is Tyce?  He made a new friend, "Spike" (who's real name is Bryce but Tyce insists on calling him Spike, hahaha) and they played the entire time.  Bryce's mom is the EMT for the league so she's there for all the games and practices.  They play SO cute together...

 After the game the boys thought it was so cool to run under the tunnel that the fans made...

The Steelers won 26-0 and did awesome!  Josh is still learning the game, it's only his first year, but we see a lot of potential in him.  I love football and love watching my kids play!!!

Back to Jackson...about two weeks ago at practice someone tackled Jackson and the helmet hit Jackson's arm/wrist.  I remember seeing it happen and he came to the sidelines bawling holding his arm.  I told him it was probably just a bruise, let him sit out for a few minutes, then sent him back in.  Since then he's been favoring it and I can tell it's been bothering him but, again, I still thought it was just a bruise.  Well at the game today during warm ups he fell and hurt the other side of his arm, like under his thumb.  It was a little swollen and red.  After the EMT looked at him she decided to pull him from the game.  Looking at his arms and wrists we noticed that his right arm was swollen on the side, like a bow shape.  I decided to bring him in to urgent care to make sure he was ok to play next week.  Well, as soon as the doctor saw him arm and the x-ray she was like..."oh yes, his arm is broken!"  It has been broken for about two weeks (yes, I deserve the worst mom award for that one).  The thumb that he hurt today is a minor sprain.  So for now he is in a splint...

And will get it casted as soon as we can get into an orthopedic surgeon, which will hopefully be next week.  We decided to take them out to IHOP for dinner because it's Jackson's favorite restaurant.  Here he is writing with his left hand, poor guy breaks his right hand right when school starts!!

Poor Jackson, I said to my friend Kim at the beginning of football season..."if anyone on the team is going to get hurt, it will be my Jack."  He just seems to have bad luck.  He is, obvioulsy, very tough though considering he functioned and played football for two weeks with a broken arm!!!  I'm dreading the cast for the next two to six weeks, but hopefully Jackson thinks it's cool. 

Well here's to hoping no more injuries this season!  Jack will still come to practice with Josh, he can run with the team and learn the game so that when the cast is off he can play in the last few games.  GO STEELERS!!!

1st Graders!

Jackson and Josh are 1st graders!!!  They had a hard time getting up this morning (their bus comes at 7:30am!) but once they got up and going they were excited.  Their teacher is Mrs. Johnson this year and we're hoping we love her as much as we did Mrs. Fletcher last year!  Here are the first day of school pics...

 Waiting at the bus stop...

 Daddy took the last train to work so he could be there when they got on the bus...

 They were the first ones on the bus...

 Joshy making funny faces at Tyce...

 And they're off!

 Was Tyce sad to see them go?  Haha, what do you think?

I think they will have a fantastic year as first graders.  I am looking forward to some one on one time with Tyce as this is his last year home with me all day.  Here's to another great school year at Cougar Elementary!!!