Joe and Holly Morris Family

Abigail - April 2011

2011-09-20T15:38:00.000-06:00

Buster - April 2011

2011-09-20T15:34:00.002-06:00

Sterling - April 2011

2011-09-20T15:31:00.002-06:00

Ace - April 2011

2011-09-20T15:14:00.000-06:00

Marlowe - April 2011

2011-09-20T15:07:00.002-06:00

Home Improvements

2011-09-20T14:47:00.000-06:00

We FINALLY got our yard in!

I love it. It looks great. We get compliments on it all the time. Such a beautiful improvement from the dirt yard I endured for years!

We inherited this nice old table and chairs from Joe's grandma. I decided to refinish and reupholster it myself. Crazy, I know.

It was tons of work. Pretty happy with the results though.

Dixie Flyer!

2011-09-20T14:31:00.001-06:00

Abby went to a cheer camp and got to be a Dixie Flyer at a high school basketball game back in 02/2011. She had a blast and we had fun watching her in action!

She redesigned her huge T-shirt, it was super cute!

There she goes!

Hiking Around the Dixie Rock

2011-09-20T14:24:00.002-06:00

These pix are from February of 2011. A bunch of Joe's family was in town and some of us went hiking around the Dixie Rock which overlooks downtown St. George.

Quite picturesque.

There's a short slot canyon thing that you can try to squeeze through. It was really causing me some claustrophobia and my clothes got all dirty but I made it! Lots of people chickened out, it's really tight.

A...B...C...Cheese (cont'd)

2011-09-20T14:15:00.000-06:00

A...B...C...CHEESE

2011-09-13T14:13:00.003-06:00

So they USED to have these amazing and tasty alphabet crackers at Costco. My kids started spelling their names with them one night and these pix were the result of their fun...

Dribblers

2011-09-13T13:59:00.000-06:00

Marlowe laughing.

Not really. She's crying or yelling. Still cute though.

Joe coached Buster's basketball team again this year. They chose to be called the Decepticons. Busters cousins, Miles, Maddie and Connor were also on his team so that was fun.

Marlowe is very expressive when she speaks. It's ultra-cute.

Besties!

Marlowe is Abby's girl. So glad they are sisters.

Coach Joe.

Buster was number eleven. GOOOO DECEPTICONS!

Portraits at the Park - Jan. 2011

2011-09-13T13:07:00.002-06:00

I Try

2011-09-13T13:00:00.000-06:00

I tried my darndest to get a good pic of the kids at the park last January. This is all I got.

Apparently, Abby had to take a call during this one. Sterling looks a bit uncomfortable/awkward. Marlowe's shirt is bunched up around her neck. Ace and Buster look gooood.

Weird angle. Buster has giant feet. Marlowe's making a strange face. Look over here, Ace. And Sterling. Abby and Buster win!

This is actually probably the best one though far from perfect. That's why I have never ever claimed to be a professional photographer.

Sterling was trying to help with Marlowe but it didn't quite work out. Come on, Ace, seriously?

Last try before Marlowe had had enough, haha. Oh well, such is my life. Love these little ones more than anything!

Goin' Boardin', Yo

2011-09-13T12:47:00.002-06:00

Man, sorry about these weird titles. Joe took Abby and Buster snowboarding this winter and they both had the time of their lives. These are some pix I took of them getting ready and the general chaos of our home.

Okay, these pictures didn't really capture the chaos at all but trust me, it exists.

Oh What Can You Do On Christmas Day?

2011-09-13T12:35:00.002-06:00

We have a cute little book with that same title. ^ I've read it to my kids 473 times!

So, on Christmas Day, after opening all of our delightful presents, we went over to Grammy and Papa's house for a yummy breakfast. Isn't that so sweet of them to do? Yes.

This is how Marlowe ate her pancakes.

Ace got all sticky.

Sterling struck a pose.

Abby had bangs.

Buster wasn't sure where to sit(?). Oh no, he was done eating and was already playing outside.

Then, Jason and Lindsey Howell came down to spend a couple of days of their Christmas break with us. Including the occurance (my spell check says occurance is not a word!) ((oh well)) of their SECOND anniversary! Aren't they adorable!? They insisted that I join them at Lindsey's favorite restaurant in the SG, The Painted Pony. I felt like a third wheel but that didn't stop me from enjoying their company and the food immensely. Jason was a kind and generous man to spend his anniversary in our guest room.

I should have just gone to bed or gotten in the shower instead of taking pics of myself in this state of disarray! haha But I must document that I was actually around. I guess I'm the only one that ever pulls out the camera.

Christmas 2010

2011-09-13T12:11:00.001-06:00

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas this year, at home. Honestly, I'm writing this on a Tuesday in September of 2011 and I can hardly remember what we did last Christmas! Isn't that terrible?! I have the memory of a toad. If it weren't for pictures like these, it would all just be a big blur! Ugh. What I wouldn't give for better memory cells! But, obviously we celebrated well and received many thoughtful and wonderful gifts from our loved ones. The kids acted out the nativity very creatively, I do remember that! It was a very well produced show with many props(a huge mess).

I think this was when I got this new camera that stretches heads at the very tops of pictures!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...
Oh, I do remember Abby and I made a new stocking and we had lots of fun doing it. We only were able to complete the one, on the very end, but have big plans to make two more so each child has a homemade stocking from Mommy. The first one is Buster's. I got a little carried away with the length, it's like, 4 feet long or something ridiculous like that. But of course, Buster looooves having the biggest, longest stocking. Then the one in the middle is Sterling's...now. It started out as Abby's and was the first one I ever made. Until Abby got to pick out her own material, the one at the very end, made to hang the wrong way, oops. Oh well. It's kinda charming, right??

The cute boys with tired eyes.

The children delving into their stockings.

Sterling and his awethum remote control car!

Abby and Buster with their Ripsticks! Boy have these things gotten a lot of use. They've gotten really good at riding them. I'm very impressed with their skills. I tried to ride one once and almost died.

We love fun games!

I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the Christmas tree with presents around it!? Hello? I'm not the best picture taker...

Hope everyone reading this had a blessed Christmas last year! Hopefully you can remember it better than me!

Give Thanks 2010

2011-02-05T18:14:00.001-07:00

Marlowe's Number One!

2011-02-05T17:55:00.002-07:00

Yep, it's official. As of October 21st, Marlowe is now one year old! It's been an amazing year with an exceptional girl! She's been the perfect addition to our family and we wouldn't know what to do without her. She's definitely adored by all.

To celebrate, I made her a lemon cookie/cream cheese frosting stack cake with some yellow sugar crystals because she brightens up our days! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY GIRL!

She took it all very seriously, haha!

(Some members of our family were MIA. As were Marlowe's pants. And that's a red dragon on Sterling's face, he had just gotten home from a Halloween party.)

Pumpkin Patch Kids

2011-02-05T17:49:00.001-07:00

Each child with his or her accompanying carved pumpkin on Halloween 2010!

Halloween Group Shots Plus One

2011-02-05T17:35:00.002-07:00

I know, my titles are really lacking something. Sorry.

As stated in a very boring way, here are the kids on Halloween 2010.

Here's the 'plus one' of Abby on 'dress-up-like-your-parents-when-they-were-in-high-school-day'. haha I think we nailed it.

This one is my fave. Makes me laugh.

Redneckin' It

2011-02-05T17:27:00.002-07:00

Around Halloween time, a farm here does a corn maze and a bunch of fun, low-budget activities. And by low-budget, I mean sticking hay up your nose and stuff. Okay, not really. That's just what my kid does.A rope swing over some mattresses in a barn, for example.
Looks like Ace couldn't tell the difference between this and Disneyland.
Pipe slides make for a fun and bumpy ride.
Redneck trampoline!

Coloring

2011-02-05T17:19:00.001-07:00

The Littles

2011-02-05T17:06:00.002-07:00

This is who I get to spend my whole day with. She's such a silly, sweet, adorable, happy little thing.
And after Marlowe and this funny little guy, Ace, get into some messy trouble, they get to take a bubble bath together!
This is her partner in crime, Ace. Look at that innocent little smile. But also notice the devious sparkle in his eye. Yeah. That.
Okay, okay. They don't really get into THAT much trouble. Most of the time, anyways. But they've definitely had their moments. And it tends to really tucker them out...

2010-12-30T22:45:00.002-07:00

This was taken from a train that my Aunt Marilyn was riding with her husband, my mother, two of my Uncles, an Aunt and a cousin! We happened upon their train while we were driving back down the canyon so we ran up to say hi.Groom and Abigail.
Buster doing tricks with his Uncle's help.
Bad family photo...

2010-12-30T22:37:00.002-07:00

Reception/Party Time!

Sterling with his fun Uncle Matt!
Abby and Grandad getting dancey!
Marlowe affixing Grandad's bootinear! haha How in the world do you spell that word?
Abby always helping!
At Buca di Beppo for the tasty wedding lunch.

2010-12-30T22:33:00.001-07:00

Acey baby.
Awww...
haha

2010-12-30T22:26:00.002-07:00

After the beautiful and touching ceremony, we all assembled ourselves for a million pictures outside of the Salt Lake Temple.Beckman siblings.
All of my siblings.
Beckman/Gille Families!

Family Park Party 3

2010-12-30T22:20:00.003-07:00

I picked Lindsey up from work at Nordy's!This was another picnic at a park in Provo with more of my family.
We went to Thanksgiving point and visited with some aminals. I think I have a bunch more pictures of this outing so stay tuned for that. You know you want to.
Playing around with my babies!
Marlowe didn't really like the grass on her crawling parts so she tried the bear walk. It was so cute. Or maybe it was hard to crawl in her dress. She did this a lot at home too. Love those leg rolls!

Family Park Party 2

2010-12-30T22:13:00.002-07:00

A family reunion of sorts!

The rest of my clan was still in St. George finishing up with work and school for the week. They came up just in time for the wedding.

I knew I had one of us all with our eyes open, JULIE! JK, I love you!

My super cute baby girl.

Aunt Lindsey helping out with a lovely background for this adorable shot.

Family Park Party

2010-12-30T22:03:00.002-07:00

This was a couple of days before Stephen(i)'s big day. Just a family get together at a park in SLC. It was great to see everyone. My talented sis, Tiffany, took all of these pics.

Hmmm, let's see...from the left - Nana, Lindsey, Holly, Ace, Stephen, (Stepheni?), Martin, other side of the table - Grandad?, Grandma Vicki, Tiffany, Julie, Uncle John!

Marlowe and Grandaddy

Sweet photo montage.

Lindsey, Stephen, Ace, Holly, Julie, and M-lo

Beckman sibs!

to be continued...

Pre-Wedding Sitters

2010-11-11T12:24:00.003-07:00

Awww, poor Marlowe!

We went up to the Provo/Salt Lake area for Stephen's wedding. Well, the two littlest ones and I went up a few days early to be with Grandmother and Stephen/Stepheni, Linds and Jase, Grandad and Grandma Vicki, etc, etc...the list really could go on and on. I love you ALL! Anyways, we had some shopping to do and Uncey Jason offered to stay in the car with the babies and this is the position he assumed....RUDE. Just messing. Thank you for helping, Jason!
Ace didn't mind it all... Bachelor parties are a whole different story.

This is my sweet Aunt Marilyn who traveled from Arkansas to help and attend the wedding/reception and play with my kids! My camera is on its last leg. It's been abused and mistreated. Hence, the blurry pics. She was entertaining them while we all helped set up for the reception. Thanks Aunt Marilyn!

Family Portrait

2010-11-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

Laguna Beach 6

2010-11-11T11:34:00.002-07:00

We missed you Lowie!

(These are out of order.) On the way home, Abby, Buster and I rode the Desperado roller coaster and screamed our heads nearly off! It was a blast!

We drove down the coast a little to find a pier to walk out on. We actually saw a guy catch a baby nurse shark right off the pier, exciting!

It was a beautiful day!

Laguna Beach 5

2010-11-11T11:26:00.002-07:00

Goofing off...
More goofing around...
Even more...
Yep, still more...
Way to bring up the rear, Ace.

Laguna Beach 4

2010-11-11T11:17:00.002-07:00

We rode the trolley around town...

The kids loved it!

A natural arch in the cliff at the beach, so cool!

Laguna Beach 3

2010-11-11T11:09:00.002-07:00

This was at Treasure Island State Park. The kids had such a fun time finding interesting creatures in the tide pools.

There were so many beautiful sea stars!

Ace was so happy to play in the sand!

Laguna Beach 2

2010-11-11T10:59:00.003-07:00

Loving the beach!

Sterling always pulls faces when the camera flashes.

A little Nerf football, anyone?

So many photo ops...

Happy kids are the best!

Laguna Beach 1

2010-11-11T10:10:00.002-07:00

We went on a little trip to Laguna Beach, CA during the first weekend in August. It was sooo much fun and sooo beautiful. I love California and I can totally see why so many people want to and do live there. HOWEVER, the water was fah-reezing. This Florida girl is used to warm bathwater temperature water. I couldn't even let it touch my toes without shivering, let alone get in the water at all. That's alright though because the weather was so perfect. Chilly in the morning and evening but warm during the day. Joe booked us a cheap hotel with views of the ocean and a walking path down to a secluded little beach. The city of Laguna Beach was really fun to walk around with tons of people and lots of fun shops and restaurants. The only thing missing was Marlowe. :( We left her behind with her loving Aunt and Uncle so we could enjoy the beach with ease. Sad but true. She had a great time and got spoiled with attention and love instead of suffering through the long drive and crazy travel schedule.

Us on and overlook of the ocean. I loved the cliffs going straight down to the water.

Sterling does silly dances when he gets excited and I actually captured his joy on film this time!

Ace and I were cold-water-wimps together.

Isn't it lovely?

Looks like we had the whole beach to ourselves, huh?

When Nature Calls...

2010-10-03T22:39:00.002-06:00

Sterling and his bestie, Max, went to nature camp together this summer. They were so excited to be at camp and in the same 'tribe'.They got special plaques because their tribe won the most challenges.
Sterling gushing over his plaque, haaa.
Sterling and Max - best buds.

Birthday Lakeside

2010-10-03T22:26:00.002-06:00

Buster at the lake, as requested.Watch out behind you Abby!
Happy girl!

Say cheese!Cali and Sterling mucking it up.
Needless to say, it was a great day on the lake! Thanks Buster!

Moe Tired

2010-10-03T19:49:00.002-06:00

This pic was snapped after an evening of fun at the lake around the campfire cooking hotdogs and roasting marshmallows and eating pie and running around in the forest and playing with cousins and inhaling lots of toxic smoke from random things the kids threw into the fire. So yeah, they were pretty exhausted.Marlowe is a sweet little thing.
Even when she rips all of her cute headbands off her head a half a second after I put them on.

Birthday Boy, Buster!

2010-10-03T18:37:00.002-06:00

Buster turned nine on June 27th! I can't believe my little boy is nine already. Man, time just flies when you're having fun raising five kids. Buster is a great boy and lots of fun. He plays well with one and all and is easy to get along with. He does well in school, one of his teachers even said she would clone him if she could! Ha! He's really cute with his baby brother and sister and Sterling loves to do whatever Buster's doing. Love you Buster! So glad you're a part of our family!Buster wanted to spend his birthday on the lake with his cousins. Those pics will be in the next post. Note Sterling and Cali holding hands in this pic, it was sooo cute. They have lots of fun together and they're in the same Kindergarten class to boot!
Grandma Andreasen and Joe looking on.
Buster thanking Sterling for his gift.
Buster wanted brownies for his birthday cake. I was happy to comply!
A little video of us singing to the birthday boy...

We're On A Boat!

2010-10-03T18:27:00.002-06:00

Somehow we had the luck of acquiring an old, jalopy party barge that, with a little work, Joe made seaworthy. Or, lakeworthy, here in the George. We took it out a couple times this summer and played in the water while Joe fished. Joe's nephew, Dallin, came with us.
Ace was the captain.
It's a fun way to spend the day...especially when someone with a tube hooked to their boat joins us. ;)

Awards Tank

2010-10-03T17:37:00.002-06:00

Both Abby and Buster scored so well on testing at school that they got certificates and candy bars and recognized during an assembly. Abby excelled in language arts by scoring in the top ten percent in the nation. Buster scored in the top ten in the nation in language arts, core and science. So proud of these kids!!!
One Saturday we all went to Costco and they had an army tank in the parking lot for people to explore...we took some pics. They also had some Star Wars characters that you could take a free photo with. It was pretty fun (and free) ((except for the big bucks we always tend to drop when shopping at Costco)).

Play Time

2010-06-12T14:40:00.003-06:00

This is the end of a very long and complicated play that the kids put together for us while we were at the park one day. They did a great job and the play had a nice message but it was getting hot and time to go. They're so funny. We took some group shots but it's so hard to get all five of them to look and smile at the same exact time.

Sterling's Stuff

2010-06-12T14:24:00.002-06:00

We are proud to announce that Sterling Donald Morris has graduated from Rise and Shine Preschool! He was so cute at the graduation and sang every song with gusto and a big smile on his face!

Here he is with his sweet teachers, Mrs, Lisa and Mrs. Brylee.

Sterling is also a fierce T-ball player. Gosh, I just love this kid and his cute little kissable face.

Tutu Darling

2010-06-12T13:53:00.002-06:00

I made everything in these photo's... except for the flower and the couch... and I guess the diaper too. But everything else was made by me, haha! Marlowe's so cute now that she's sitting up and crawling and chubby and smiley. So I stuffed her in a tutu and we took these pic's the other day.

Ace Turned Two, Whoopadeedoo!

2010-06-10T19:11:00.002-06:00

Ace is a cool little dude. One of his favorite things is his little sister, Marlowe, for sure. He loves giving her kisses and wrestling her and making her laugh by doing silly things. He has finally started talking and will say the same thing over and over until he gets what he needs. Which is probably a great tactic for getting your way when you're the fourth out of five. He is quick with a hug or 'loves' if someone is crying (usually Sterling). He loves reading books with his siblings and copying what they say. He loves Hotwheels cars. He will just sit there and roll one over the same spot again and again watching the wheels. He loves to color...on the new couch. He has a good poker face he uses in uncomfortable situations. He really loves to go bye-bye and will quickly find his shoes if he thinks one of us is about to go somewhere. He loves candy which he and Abby call 'nanoo'(?) I think she bribes him with nanoo a lot when she babysits. He has thee cutest smile and a twinkle in his eyes and I love him.We just had a little family party at Grammy's house with Grandma and Grandpa, too.
My lego cake fail. :{
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ACE!!!

Easter 2010

2010-06-10T18:52:00.002-06:00

Abby's Eleventh!

2010-05-08T21:11:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday to Abby! She has made it to the eleven year mark! We are so happy to have her in our family. She is a wonderful oldest child and big sister to all her younger siblings. She's fun to be around and she's not afraid to speak her mind. We love you Abby!

We had a little family party at Grammy's with Grandma and Grandpa. I made chicken noodle soup and brownies. She got some nail polish and perfume and a fun game, lots of cash, gum balls, and A JUSTIN BIEBER CD! She was so excited. Look at her cute little face...

Whooshhhh, eleven years, wow!

I love me some Abby!

Joe teasing her about her J.B. excitement, aahahha.

WE LOVE ABBY!

Many Marlowe's

2010-05-08T21:05:00.001-06:00

Friends, Feet and Foreigners

2010-05-05T21:41:00.003-06:00

Our dear friends, the Freelands, that we've known since our college days, stayed with us for a few days. It was sooo fun and great to spend time with them. They introduced our kids to geo-caching and we ate at ChuckARama and found a geo-cache and we watched the sun set on our parked party barge and we went on walks to do some geo-caching and they took our older kids out to find some more geo-caches for hours and hours. I don't know, it was crazy, crazy fun. Look it up, I guess, if you don't know what geo-caching is. Or ask my kids. Or maybe it's a big secret and I wasn't supposed to say anything about it... Anyways, I hope they come back sometime soon and bring the rest of their kids. Marlowe sure had fun playing with her new bestie, Taylor, who is also six months old.

This is me and the former almost WNBA superstar, Debbie (Dimond) Freeland!!! Haha, she has a shrine at BYU I hear. I'm going to check it out next time I'm in Provo. She is awesome and sweet and deserves a shrine in her honor!Then one of my oldest and dearest friends that I grew up with in Florida stopped by one day. Christie and I have a long history together and many fond memories of many hours spent together doing who knows what. It was fun to re-connect and meet her three darling children. She and her husband seem like very calm, kind parents. So good to see her!
One night I found these beautiful shoes. I fell in love. I left the store without them. I couldn't stop loving them. I went back and bought them. I love them.
"Hello lovlies."
I didn't love this angry, displaced, aggressive muskrat who sought refuge under our garbage can one night. We've had the strangest creatures wander into our yard. Including but not limited to: this muskrat, tarantula's(RIP Hairy Spongebob 1 & 2), a rattlesnake(RIP), three mallard ducks, three tiny yappy dogs, a swarm of flying ants(RIP), bunnies, chipmunks, scorpions, owls, bats, a cute bird living on our back porch, huge lizards and a fox.

Spring Break Trip to Provo

2010-05-05T21:30:00.002-06:00

Me and my girls decided to take a trip up to Provo to pay Lindsey a visit! It was so fun. Needless to say we ate well and we ate a lot. It also might not surprise you to hear that we shopped a little too. It was fun to make dinner with Lindsey and Abby for Martin's Birthday! I love spending time with loved ones! And we took some pics! Like these...

To be continued...

Can't They Just Stay Little?

2010-04-07T12:47:00.003-06:00

Mom and Moe (as Ace calls her).

She loves her toes!

And her Bumbo!

This is what happens when Buster tells Ace, who loves to go bye-bye, that Ace gets to go to school with him... and then leaves for school without him. Poor thing had his backpack on and everything. :( I recorded this too but I'll spare you and your precious eardrums.

Joe helping with the baby while enjoying his two favorite past times. Gooooo Joe!

Show Time

2010-03-29T15:08:00.004-06:00

So this was really fun. I got to go to the Colbie Caillet concert with some friends! It was a great show!

My fun friend, Chantel, and I!

Sterling's Fifth Birthday Party

2010-03-21T17:37:00.003-06:00

Ace and Marlowe lounging around before the party began.

Marlowe and Buster shared this special moment that day.

Party kids digging into the snake cake I made for Sterling's jungle themed party.

The yummy snake cake and the proud five year old stud and a very excited friend, Matthew.

Joe got Sterling a fun Perplexus ball game thingy.

Sterling's Fifth Birthday

2010-03-21T17:24:00.002-06:00

Sterling with his Birthday book from me. These books make us laugh.

Sterling with his friend Jaren.

Opening presents is glorious! At least that's what his face is telling me in this photo.

Playing Gazelle, Gazelle...LION!

Group shot!

Party at Sterling's Preschool

2010-03-21T17:04:00.002-06:00

We took cookies to Sterling's Preschool to celebrate his Fifth Birthday. His friends were so cute and all of his brothers and sisters were able to come too! Somehow the little ones aren't in these pics...you'll just have to take my word for it.

The super smiley Birthday Boy!

I think we were washing up with hand sanitizer here, haha.

Ace's Speech Therapy Session

2010-03-21T15:32:00.003-06:00

We're all having a good time trying to teach Ace, who is almost 2, how to talk. This cuteness was caught on tape one night during dinner...

ReALly RAnDoM...

2010-03-07T20:27:00.003-07:00

Um, I'm not sure why I just added this photo. It's not very good. I'm not sure how to delete though.

This is about how my day usually goes with my nearly-two-year-old. I'll be ecstatic when he starts to really talk to me.

This is the only pic I took when Jason and Lindsey came down for Valentine's Weekend. We did lots of fun things too, it's a shame.

This is Marlowe smiling insanely at something.

This is Miss Marlowe studying her toes.

Grandpa Joe's 86th!!

2010-03-07T20:04:00.003-07:00

Boys and their DS's...this is how they partied at Grandpa Joe's Birthday Party...Uncle Dick, Joe, Ace and Grandpa enjoying the evening.
Wow, all of us together for a pic!
Aunt Eulalia relaxing after fixing all of us a delicious meal. Thanks again!
Chris is always helping!

Grandpa Joe's 86th!

2010-03-02T15:10:00.002-07:00

Papa is so cute with the babies!My kids and Uncle Ricky, visiting from China for Chinese New Year!
Andy and Grandpa Joe
Abby and her Great-Grandpa
Grandpa Joe, Abby, Papa, Grandma and Grammy

???

2010-03-02T14:08:00.003-07:00

I'm sorry that pretty much all the pic's I post on here are extremely candid shots. Please try to appreciate what is good and right about them and don't dwell on our misfortunes. That being said, I encourage you to chuckle a little bit, at least, at Sterling's face in this pic. Oh dear. Buster and Marlowe, too. Just makes me giggle. At least the background is gorgeous...

Marlowe has a weight problem. She's definitely our chunkiest. Sterling calls her 2-3 chins her 'beef turkey'. What? Yeah, I don't know where he came up with that. And sadly, Uncle Jason was christened with a 'garlicky beef turkey' last time he was here, as Sterling was cradling his uncle's chin in his hand.

Marlowe and Her Thumb

2010-02-28T20:35:00.003-07:00

Well, it's official. Marlowe sucks her thumb. Our first thumb sucker. She has no interest in pacifiers at all anymore. I can't see it as a bad thing right now but I fear for her in the future. It's so nice that she can self-soothe and she's such an excellent sleeper and peaceful baby. And, boy oh boy, is it ever precious when she does it...for now.

Happiness

2010-02-04T13:39:00.002-07:00

Here are some recent pics of the wee ones. Marlowe is seriously thee sweetest, happiest, most mellow baby girl in this here universe, if I do say so myself. She is just a joy to have around. Her current obsessions are smiling and sleeping which makes for a happy mommy! She doesn't get grumpy very often...maybe that's because I love to hold her and make her smile when she is awake, I'm not sure!

Oh, and Marlowe is also working on adding a third chin by being a wonderful eater! Do you love the Elmo slippers? I think they add so much pizazz to this pic!

Awww, happy baby.

Buster took this pic of Sterling and some sort of albino alligator dragon(?). I thought it was thought provoking.

And here's little Ace man...purveyor of trouble, happy go lucky boy, fit thrower extraordinaire, non-compliant sleeper, hilarious dude, whiner and diner, happy helper, and a man of few words but much pointing and uhhhhhh-ing. Love him!

Candid Shots of the Kids

2010-01-10T19:25:00.002-07:00

Ahhhh, my kids crack me up. Especially Sterling, when I pull the camera out, he's such a ham. I took these after church today because they all looked so stinkin' cute!

Ace really wanted to take all these trucks to naptime with him. I didn't think it looked too comfortable but I let him cuddle them and go to sleep. I hope he had some sweet trucking dreams.

Shredding It Up At The Canyons pt. 2

2010-01-03T21:23:00.002-07:00

Yay! Phil made it off the lift!Caught Phil smiling!
Linds and I and Grace in the background doing some sort of snowboard shimmy?
Cute Grace!
Grace and Phil on the gondola.

Shredding It Up At The Canyons

2010-01-03T20:58:00.002-07:00

One of our Christmas presents was to go snowboarding the day after Christmas with Lindsey and Jason and Joe's cousin, Phil and his girlfriend, Grace. It turned out to be a beeautiful day and we had such a blast! Joe and Jason have been snowboarding since high school so they took off on their own while the rest of us went to ski school. It was Lindsey's first time and only my third so we learned a lot and got a good work out from our instructor, Baz, who liked to make us climb hills all day long! Somehow me and Lindsey ended up as The Matching Princess Sisters in all our borrowed gear and special needs, haaa (Linds ;)).
Us on the gondola ride from the parking lot to the lodge.
My kids goggles were really helpful - NOT. I will need to invest in some stylish and necessary duds that actually fit if I plan on pursuing this Holly hobby. Maybe Santa will bring me some next Christmas! I had to wear Abby's coat, a little snug.
Jason Jesse and Lindsey Grace Howell of Provo, Utah 84606.
Twinners!

Our Jolly Good Christmas Morning 2009 part two

2010-01-03T20:41:00.003-07:00

The aftermath! Whoa.Big kids helping babies open presents!
Marlowe couldn't take all the excitement...
Buster's cute little happy face!
All the boys reading a book from Ace's stocking, so cute!

Our Jolly Good Christmas Morning 2009

2009-12-31T12:08:00.003-07:00

Abby was helping Ace figure things out. It must be a little confusing and overwhelming to be able to rip into the presents and whatnot after we've been telling him not to touch them for the past few weeks!
Mommy and Marlowe watching the action.
Ace was so happy to find his stocking full of fun things!
Helping Ace with his stocking! All the big kids got such enjoyment from watching their little brother discover the joy of Christmas morning!
Ace snuggling with Marlowe. He is the most loving big brother, always wanting to give her big, lickery kisses!

All in all it was a wonderful Christmas! The kids orchestrated a pretty amazing Nativity story play for us to watch and we read from the scriptures. We left brownies and milk for Santa and special food outside for the reindeer. It's so fun to experience Christmas through the eyes of your children and I am so thankful for them. Thanks to all of our loved ones and friends who helped make our Christmas so special, we love you and miss you.

Blessing Marlowe

2009-12-15T13:45:00.002-07:00

We blessed baby Marlowe Grace on December 6th, 2009. Her Daddy did a beautiful job and we had lots of loved ones in attendance.

Hopefully my Dad took a better pic of Marlowe than this one. I'll update this post once I get more pictures.

Blessing Marlowe, continued

2009-12-15T13:01:00.003-07:00

We always love it when Aunt Lindsey comes to town!
Uncle Martin was a good sport with my boys and took quite a beating but I think he was able to hold his own pretty well. Thanks for being so playful Uncle Monkenaco!
Aunt Kat was a really cuddly baby holder and it was great to get to know her boyfriend, Craig.
We loved the quality time we got to spend with Grandad and Grandma Vicki while they were here! They were so helpful and fun to be with!
She's getting so big, so fast! She's really a wonderful baby with a mild temperament and easy-going personality. We all are so in love with her and are so happy that she joined our family!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-15T08:43:00.003-07:00

Sweet little Marlowe girl and her first smile caught on camera!!! Look at those chubby cheeks! Don't mind the messy counter behind her, we were in the middle of fixing Thanksgiving dinner!
My arms needed a rest and her outfit was so cute!
Linds and Jase brought Rock Band down and we had a rockin' time with it all weekend.
The kids made this gingerbread train that didn't last very long on the counter! Good thing they all have dentist appointments in December!
The luscious Thanksgiving feast that Lindsey and I prepared for our families! I'm so very thankful for my life, for those precious people that I am blessed to be able to spend time with in my life and for all the comforts that I enjoy! Heavenly Father continues to bless me, even when I don't deserve it.

Pics Julie Took of My Kiddos

2009-11-22T14:18:00.002-07:00

Marlowe's Mini Photoshoot 3

2009-11-21T20:07:00.002-07:00

Marlowe's Mini Photoshoot 2

2009-11-21T19:59:00.002-07:00

Marlowe's Mini Photoshoot 1

2009-11-21T17:06:00.001-07:00

Babies Bring Us Together

2009-11-21T15:00:00.001-07:00

Halloween Visitors and Costumes

2009-11-20T20:47:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin Faces

2009-11-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza

2009-11-20T20:22:00.001-07:00

Kids with Marlowe

2009-11-20T15:05:00.001-07:00

Marlowe

2009-11-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

Marlowe Grace Morris

2009-11-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

More Marlowe Grace

2009-11-12T19:42:00.001-07:00

Marlowe Grace

2009-11-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

Me and the Kids and the Belly

2009-11-12T18:09:00.001-07:00

Nine Months Pregnant!!!!

2009-10-11T13:01:00.002-06:00

Girlie Baby Shower

2009-10-11T12:32:00.002-06:00

I had the best time at my baby shower! So thankful for wonderful family and friends and being able to spend time with some of them. Lindsey was a terrific hostess and my friend Pilar helped a lot, they are the best! We played some funny games like melting various chocolate candy bars in a diaper and everyone had to guess what they were. People were even tasting the sample which made it a little gross to watch! We also played 'guess the baby food in the jar', Lindsey found some really interesting types. I don't think anyone got one exactly right. We made up baby names out of Holly/Joseph and played the memory game with baby items. The food was really yummy, too! Thanks for coming everyone and thank you for the cute girlie gifts, sooo fun! Sisterly love!
Chantel and I and our bellies full of girls!
All the preggy girls on the couch! Chantel, me, Lindsey (not preggy) and Melissa
Lindsey's sweet mother-in-law, Linda, happened to be in town!

Girlie Baby Shower Part 2

2009-10-11T08:44:00.001-06:00

Thee Ultimate Hostess and I!Olivia and Holly!
Pilar playing the candy bar diaper game, yum, yum!
Melissa and I.
Holly, Olivia, Lindsey, Me, Chantel, Melissa, Linda, and Pilar!
A very special THANK YOU to Lindsey and Pilar for being so sweet and throwing me this shower!

Parade Participants!

2009-10-07T15:17:00.002-06:00

Sterling was invited to ride on his Preschool's float in the Santa Clara Swiss Days Parade and he was so excited! Buster decided to ride along and help him throw candy and Abby offered to help the animal shelter walk one of their dogs. So Ace and Daddy and I got to just relax and watch the parade and take pics of the kids as they came by. The weather was so perfect. It was a fun morning.

Abby as Prince Madoc

2009-09-12T12:43:00.002-06:00

Abby was chosen to play Prince Madoc in a school debate for the 5th graders. It was all about who really discovered America first. She had to memorize all of the information about Prince Madoc and wear a costume and tell all the fifth graders about him. Luckily for us, her Great Uncle John, who is a drama teacher and producer of school plays, was visiting and designed her awesome costume for her. Then we all got to watch her in action. It was cute, she did a great job!

Nana and Uncle John's Visit

2009-09-12T11:45:00.002-06:00

My Dear Nana and Uncle John drove up from LA to spend almost a week with us and we had so much fun with them! We definitely don't get to see each other nearly enough. Lindsey and Jason came down from Salt Lake to see them also, so that just added to the good times. We played lots of games, talked a lot, ate lots of great food, and did some fun things! One of the highlights of our time together was going to the Tuachan outdoor amphitheater to see a production of AIDA! We ate at so many yummy restaurants. Thanks so much for coming out and for all the fun, Nana and Uncle John!!! Miss you!

This is us at Samauri 21, a Japanese steakhouse, where we all (except Nana) caught shrimp that was flung into our mouths by the crazy chef. He really chucked them at the kids, it was too funny. He had them open their mouths as wide as they could and angled their heads where he wanted them and told them to just hold still while he did a line drive, hopefully, into their mouths. It took a couple of tries but he kept going til they caught one. We all had a good laugh.

Park Play

2009-09-12T11:22:00.003-06:00

The kids had some friends over and it was only around 100 degrees so we decided to take them all to the park since it had been closer to 113 most of the summer and we had been indoors so much. It was a good time, nice in the shade. The older kids loved taking turns swinging from branches while singing the Indiana Jones theme song as loud as their lungs would let them! The little boys ran around and played with Buddy the dog or wrestled. We also played frisbee and checked out the playground.

Everybody Loves Ace

2009-09-09T18:41:00.003-06:00

Little Ace is so fun to play with. He loves to try to zoom around the kitchen area on his wiggle racer, just like his older sibs. Even though my house sounds like a train station, seriously, it's a lot of fun for them so I let it roll. Sterling is such a sweet big brother. These two have lots of fun together while the older kids are at school.
I love to make him giggle and his neck is a prime target for getting a chuckle out of him.
When he rides with Abby or Buster, it's like he's on the speedway, they go so fast. Usually in a big figure eight formation around the island and dining room table. Even Sterling zips around so fast without bumping into anything, it amazes me.
Ace usually just starts screeching when Buster comes near. Buster likes to wrestle and mess around with him and he sure gets it back from Ace, it's quite hilarious. He must have been distracted by all the fun at the park in this pic.
Ace won't stop saying 'uh-oh'. He says it ALL the time, about everything. You might think that it would start to get annoying but it doesn't because he's so cute and serious when he says it, it just makes us smile and laugh. He knows everything we say and tries to be good.

Ace's First Birthday (from April)

2009-08-15T09:26:00.004-06:00

We celebrated Ace's First Birthday back in April while we were in Provo celebrating Matt Gille's graduation from BYU! Grandad had these pics and I finally got them from him so I can blog about it now! He looks so cute and curious about what the heck is going on.

Ace is thee sweetest little boy who loves to snuggle and give hugs and kisses but he also loves to wrestle and horse around and be right in the middle of the action. He's learned that Buster likes to take his abuse and will just attack him whenever Buster holds him or is sitting on the floor, it's hilarious. His big smile and baby laughter is contagious. He's very friendly and will usually let just about anyone hold him. He smiles and waves goodbye to everyone at bedtime right before he gets tucked into his crib with a special blankey, a fan, a sound machine with white noise on quite loudly, no night light and the door shut tight to his very own room for the night or he will wake up at the drop of a pin. He loves to be near me if not right on my lap or under my feet in the kitchen. If his older sister and brother's are home, he'll play happily near them. He loves getting into bathroom stuff-toothbrushes especially, so we have to keep the doors closed. My cell phone is his favorite toy and I usually breathe on it and clean off the fingerprints once he's done with it so now he does that to everything. For example, he blows on his food, then eats it or he'll blow on whatever he's playing with. It's pretty funny. He likes to put on anyone's shoes that he finds and he'll try to walk around in them. He loves books and toys that make music. Whenever he hears music he starts dancing, even in his carseat. He wrestles during diaper changes unless he has a toy or book to keep him occupied. He loves milk and blueberries and that green Superfood juice and anything with tomato sauce. He loves to play monster and 'I'm gonna get you' and laughs/squeals with delight if we scare him as he toddles around a corner. He really likes to help me load and unload the dishwasher. He'll only tolerate his carseat for so long. He loves getting into anything we accidentally leave down low at his level. He communicates with questioning oooo's, it's hard to describe without making the sound. He can say uh-oh, ow, hello, Mama, Dada, ba(which can mean bottle, bye, banana, Buddy the dog, Abby or Buster, etc.) and he has the three sounds of 'I love you' down. We love to tickle him, especially his neck area, and make him giggle. He really hates baths and would rather take a shower. Ace is just a pure joy to have in our family and we love him soooo much!

Yummy cake. I thought we let him tear into his own piece but I guess we didn't get it on film?

He's blowing you a kiss!

Our Family Pictures

2009-08-15T09:21:00.001-06:00

Family Pictures

2009-08-15T09:11:00.001-06:00

The After Party

2009-08-04T10:52:00.002-06:00

Buster chose Pirate Island Pizza as our destination for lunch after his Baptism, which is fitting right??? Not very spiritual but we had fun times and some delicious pizza!

Here is Grandad entertaining Ace while we wait for our pizza to come.

Ace and Papa.

Holly and Lindsey.

Ace and Grandma.

Jason and Lindsey cheesing it up, as usual.

Buster's Baptism Day

2009-08-03T11:12:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I learned something during/after this photo shoot. Two photographer's is one too many. I don't think I have one photo where we are all looking at the same camera, ugh.

These are our attempts...

Sterling got tired of it all pretty quickly and needed some (head) support from his mother.

This one makes me a little seasick..but it's cute.

Left to right: Kat, Robert, Lindsey, Grandad, Abby, Jason, Sterling, Grandma Vicki, Holly, Ace, Buster, Papa, Grammy, Joe.

It was a great day and the baptism was particularly sweet. A special thank you to all those who participated and came all this way to support Buster and our family. We love you, we love the good times we shared, and we can't wait to see you all again soon!