Popsicles!

It gets nice and hot around here! Popsicles usually save the day! I love how pink and sun kissed the girls get in the summer! It just ads to this picture!

We spend quite a bit of time outside with our neighborhood of friends! And it's fun to be able to supply all the kiddos with a popsicle. I have them line up at my door shortest to tallest or youngest to oldest...it makes them think a bit. Oh, maybe next time I will have them recite an Article of Faith, scripture, or math problems! HA

Busy Busy!

We had a fun and busy week with family as we prepared for Blake's baptism and Fletcher's blessing! My in-laws and parent flew in from out of state to come and meet the new boy and be here for the baptism. It was such a great week spending so much time with in-laws celebrating our Nation's Independence (you know that's the preferred way of saying 4th of July...right!). For days we ate, and ate, and ate! Then my parents came in and it continued! We just had a down right great time celebrating together as a family!


Blake with Dan dressed in all white!


Lunch in the park with everyone from the baptism. Here's a pic of my youngest sister Kale, sister in law Jamie, mom Julie, and Me....and that's my sister in laws boyfriend kindly "photo bombing" the scene...thanks ROB!!!

FOUR generations of Morris Men....






I sure am proud of Blake! And feel very blessed to have Fletcher in our family!

Baby Boy 2 Months

Here's my little guy napping with his daddy on the couch!!!

And She is 8....

OH how the years quickly go by!

Our Blake turned 8.

We decided to have a little party inviting only 3 friends. We had a breakfast brunch filled with mini cinnamon rolls, donuts, fruit, yogurt, chocolate covered strawberries, juice, cheese, deviled eggs...am I missing anything!

After eating, I taught the girls how to make hair bows. Then we watched a movie while soaking feet before their mani-pedi. Then we played "The Candy Bar Game," opened presents and called it good!
(The Candy Bar Game comes from our good friends the Wiggins. A huge pile of candy bars, gums, and candies are in the center of the circle. With dice you each take turn rolling in hopes of a 7, 11 or doubles. Then you grab a candy from the pile. After all the candies are gone a timer is set and you continue playing only you are able to steal a candy from another person's pile! Super Fun!)

Later that night we had a few neighbors and tons of family join us at the park and ate hotdogs, chips, dips, salads, cookies, and cupcakes....pink lemon-ade!

It was such a FUN day! I'm so glad to have my Blake. She's such a big help to me. She's an awesome big sister (sometimes she's not). She loves to read. And she's looking forward to being baptized. I love having a BIG kid!

Father's Day

This year Father's Day and our wedding anniversary fell on the same day! (10 years)

We woke up super late in the morning so Dad missed out on a cute breakfast in bed. But he and Fletcher looked dapper for church in their matching ties!

We love our dad!

The Boy is Here!

He's here!

Thursday morning I took Layne on a walk. A LONG walk! A 3.2 mile long walk! It felt great! So for the rest of the day I felt weaker but with a really tight tummy.

At 8 ish that evening after the girls had all gone down to bed, I hopped on the exercise ball and started bouncing. I started to notice that I had some mild contractions that started at 10 minutes apart. They gradually increased and I reported to Dan via text as he was at work. At around 10:30pm I texted with a report of 6 minutes apart and some guy at Dan's work gladly took over the remainder of his closing night shift. My sister Kale came to stay for the night and we made it in to the hospital at around midnight. The contractions were tolerable but the pressure was heavy. So the midwife suggested I head in and get a look!

At 1pm only 3cm.

At 3pm only 4cm, so the midwife suggested to break my water and that normally speeds up the process.

Well, it didn't For 3 hours I rested through a few contractions.

As a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After C-Section) it is not often that a doctor or midwife will use Pitocin, or much of anything to encourage labor along. Well, there was a Doctor on that night that was willing to stick around and get my contractions coming along.

Come along they did. Within a few minutes after the pitocin started I noticed a huge intensity in contractions. This was around 6am. At 8am I had only progressed to 6cm. And it was then when I asked for that sweet sweet epidural. I've done a completely NATURAL childbirth...but man oh man I much prefer the epidural!

At 8:30am the drugs kicked in and so did the dilation! I quickly progressed to a full 10cm by 9am and pushed maybe 10 times, less that 20 minutes and at 9:25am our little man was born!

Fletcher Shillig Morris

He looked teeny tiny! But cried something fierce! He weighed 6lbs 15oz, 20inches tall. That's little for my kids, my girls have all been at least 8 1/2 lbs or more!

Dan and I got to hold him and love him for a few hours before we went to the recovery room. The nurses didn't like the way his breathing sounded and after asking them to wait and wait to take him her finally let him get some tests done. Layne was the only one that got to hold him before he was taken to the nursery with Dan. His breathing sounded "heavy" or "labored" as they put it. It was that cute kind of purring or cooing sound. In my heart I knew it was nothing, but seeing him have different tests done just ached.

After sooo much praying and crying the noise just stopped. I think that everyone must have been praying all at the same time. He was fine. And he was able to come back in to my room and stay with us.

We did have a few visitors while in the hospital. My sister Kale and cousin Rachel were the very first to meet and hold him. Then his sisters saw him for half a second. Dan's sister Tiffany, and Great Grandparents Morris came but only got to see him through a window because he was taken for testing.

The big girls got to play with their Aunts Kale and Tiffany while Mom and Dad were at the hospital. Then they played with our good friends the Bulkleys. And Dan stayed the night at home with them then brought them the next day to pick up baby brother and me and bring us all home. It was such a neat feeling having us all together in the van!

And as for his name....
Many of you know that I had thought it would be neat to stick with the pattern we have existing with out girls. Their names are one syllable, strong vowel, 5 letters, and ends in E. Well, we just couldn't come up with something just right. Thanks to everyone that contributed with awesome suggestions! Back in November while still in CA, I came up with Fletcher or Lewis. Dan immediately shot them down because he thought it silly to think of names when we didn't even know what we'd be having, boy or girl. But then, in February he came home one night from work and said, "Hey what do you think about these names: Lewis of Fletcher?"

HA!!!

Fletcher it is! We love it!
We love this tiny little guy!
He doesn't cry much...yet. He seems to be a quiet one. Serious almost.

We'll see what he turns out to be like!

Baby Shower!!!

It may not come as a shock to you like it was for me, but looking at pictures from my baby shower from today I didn't know I have a DOUBLE CHIN.

How come nobody told me. Sheesh! At least I can laugh about it, right!?


Anyhow!


Today was such a FANTASTIC day! My dear sweet friend, Jamie, that I've know since age 8, we were baptized on the same day in the same font in the Canyon Country building! Well, Jamie threw me such a fun baby shower. I'm still in shock of the generosity of others. And love that so many friendships have lasted through decades!



I was born in Colorado and 4 of my childhood friends, we're talking ages 2-6, came with gifts of clothes and diapers and blankets! The last time I saw them I think I was 14 or 15?? (I'm super sad I missed getting a picture with them!)

Long time family friends and one of my childhood crushes, age 8-12 ish, his mother and sister came with darling outfits and hand-made blankets and burp clothes!

My sister and cousins helped out tons and even brought a gift! My cousin game up a trip to Santa Barbara, Ca, to stick around and make the most delicious cake balls!


My aunt and cousins came with darling home-crafted stuff!



My friend from high-school came!

Two of my college/dorm-mates came with gifts and love!

Friends from when I was newly married came with some of my more recently made friends!

Ward friends came!




Neighbor friends came!

Sisters-in-law, cousins-in-law, Great Grandparents-in-law!



My mother-in-law sent party favors designed JUST for this occasion! And designed some little onesies and burp clothes with the yummiest of colors.


Really, I felt so overwhelmingly LOVED. Amazed. I am till in awe even several hours later. I don't think I'll need to buy diapers or wipes until he's 4 months old. I'm set on clothes for probably the whole first year!


I'm really blown away and feel so lucky and blessed from today's events! I don's think I could use enough exclamation marks to share my elation!

So for those of you that came and contributed and showed your support and shared your time with me.....THANK YOU! My heart is so filled from all of your love!