Merry Christmas 2010!!

Once again, it has been a fun, event-filled year at the Morrill house.  Matt and I both turned the big 20-10 in 2010:

Notice all the smoke from the candles  :)

Jeremy turned 7:

and Bailee turned 6:

Matt started school in January and he has been going non-stop ever since.  We are counting down the days as he is set to graduate in May with a Masters in Accounting from the Univeristy of Utah.  He has been working really hard and we are hoping it will pay off in the end.
It hasn’t all been work though, we found every opportunity we could to have some fun.  We’ve had Psych Parties:



Gone to choir concerts:
 

Preschool Graduation:

1st Grade Programs:
 
We’ve gone to baseball games:

We even made it to St. George:

We spent a lot of time enjoying nature this year.  Starting with a week long girls camp at Heber Valley:

Then heading to Sundance:
 
A little picnic up at Devil’s Kitchen:
 
Toward the end of summer, Matt, Dad and Jeremy headed down to the Book Cliffs for a few days:

And our annual trip up to enjoy the fall leaves:

 
We took a few trips to California.  One in March:

And one during Halloween:

We made our annual pilgrimage up to Temple Square for General Conference in the Spring:
 
and the Fall:
 
We have kept up some old traditions.  Like going to see Thriller:

Heading up to Gardner Village:

And we started some new ones including going to see the Rockettes!!
 
and we went to see a Christmas Carol:

Throughout the year we have had a ton of fun having FHE with friends and family. 
We’ve played games:
 

Gone fishing:
 
Went to some mazes:

And a bunch of other fun lessons and activities.
It was a great year and we are so very blessed to have such great friends and family.  We are especially thankful for the knowledge that we can all be together forever.  There isn’t a better place to be!!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

Christmas Carol

Last year, Mom and Dad went up to Salt Lake to the Hale Theatre to see A Christmas Carol.  They were so impressed with the performance, they wanted to go again this year.  So Matt and I decided that we should take the whole family.  We read the book with them every year, and we have several versions on DVD, so we thought it would be good for them to see it live.  They were really excited to be going to a real play.  We got the theatre and I realized I forgot my camera, so the pictures are taken with my cell phone:

Bailee was loving the lobby:

We found our seats and snapped a few pictures:



I loved how comfy the seats were.  You just sunk into them.  I’ve always loved the Hale Theatre’s layout:

You don’t really miss any action.  They play started and it dazzled right from the beginning.  When Marley came in to Scrooge’s bed chamber I had chills run down my back.  It was creepy.  I kept checking to see if Bailee was OK.  She was find.  Needless to say, we LOVED it.  It was the best production of Christmas Carol I have seen, and we will certainly be making this a family tradition!!  In summation, “God Bless Us, Everyone!”

Ward Christmas Party

Friday was the Ward Christmas Party.  Each of us were asked to perform in the program.  Jeremy and Bailee were asked to sing “I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas”  They were more excited about getting to wear their pajamas to the party:


Mom had to read a poem:

I had to sing and dance to Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree with the Young Women:



The Elder’s Quorum had to sing “Little Saint Nick”

And then Travis decided to improvise and do a little dance:


Then the primary sang a couple songs:

After the program, Santa came and Bailee RAN to meet him. 

Jeremy is still having his Santa doubts so he wasn’t quite sure about sitting on his lap.  So he kept getting out of the line and getting back in until he was VERY last.  Matt and Logan were quite proud of their Hawaiian shirts so they wanted a pictures while they waited:

Then Jeremy finally decided he better sit on Santa’s lap, but he knew it wasn’t the REAL Santa:

It was a fun night!!  And the food was delicious!

Jingle Bells

One of the things I love most about being an Aunt is sharing in my nieces and nephews triumphs and milestones. I love going to birthday parties and watch them open presents and stuff their faces with birthday cake, I love going to concerts and see them play the saxophone or piano and I love going to school programs to listen to them act out and sing. Being an Aunt is awesome. Get them wound up and send them home with their parents, that is my specialty.
Tyler and Zoey had a Christmas program on Tuesday. They were so cute, they were the only ones wearing Christmas clothes:




Tyler got a little confused and was being “tall” when he was supposed to be “small.”


Zoey didn’t know all the words to the songs, but the words she did know, she just SCREAMED!! It was classic. I flashed back to Jenny about that age standing on the pew in church singing “GLOOOOOOOOOOOORIA IN EXCELSIS
DE-O”. I was giggling the entire time.

Zoey loved every minute of her performance – her big debut.
It was only about a 15 minute production, but I was smiling and laughing the entire time. I love those two little kids, and they did awesome. Congrats Zoey and Tyler!!

A Christmas Miracle

It’s a Christmas Miracle!!  I made Oreo Truffles from start to finish . . .  ALL BY MYSELF!!!  I was quite excited.  And friends and family assure that they are in fact quite edible!!  Here is the finished product:


Sure there were only 3 ingredients in the recipe and it didn’t require me to use the stove, but I am still proud nonetheless. 
Last night we also went and saw the Nutcracker presented by the Juab Fine Arts Council.  It was nicely done.  One of my young women was dancing so I told her I’d come.  I just can’t say no to those little angels.  I tried to get pictures, but I failed miserably:


We took pictures during intermission:



It was a night full of fun and triumphs!!