Christmas at the Morrills

As most of my family shivers this Christmas, we are happy to report that we too are cold this year. It even rained, and Aria has had to wear on occasion a sweater or jacket.

It was certainly late this year, but we could not go without getting the tree up and decorated. It took us an eternity to get the tree out of the bottom of the pile of boxes in the garage. but to see Aria get so excited about decorating the tree, it was worth every minute.

It is funny. Last year we had a 24" no-fly-zone at the bottom of the tree, this year, as Aria was responsible for that same lower 24", the tree is bottom-heavy. She really likes decorating the tree. I have included an image of one of Aria's favorite branches.

We are in great anticipation of some peace this Christmas season. We are enjoying the calm before the storm as it were. We have been informed today that Kian's arrival will be pushed back to the 8th of January. This is tough because we were very excited about the 5th. It shares the same day as a couple of important people in our lives. Kian's "uncle Jared" is Jan5. Aunt Michelle is a 5th, and we have a few others.

We hope all have a wonderful Christmas. We hav truly been blessed this year, and are appreciative of all that we are given, and able to give in return.

Merry Christmas.

Kian Waves Hello

I'm not sure, but I think he flashes a gang sign near the end of the video.

We are excited to meet "the Kiwi" (his first official nickname) He will have and already has many nicknames. Those already monikered: The Boy, Wiggle Worm, Fred Astaire, Rocky, The Parasite, The Alien. Many of these refer to his highly active en utero antics.

"Kiwi" is of course a play on his name. No decision yet as to whether it applies to the fruit or the bird. This should depending on his hair condition at birth.

Lots of wild hair= Bird

More fuzz = Fruit

No Fuzz = Bird Egg.

La Casa Nueva del Morales

Well, here it is. We are very excited about our new home. We invite all to come and visit. If you come during November, bring gloves and a paintbrush. We will be moving in small batches as the new home is a few miles away, and Kerri will be of little more that directive help. We should be completely moved in by the first of December.- More pictures to come as we get moved in.

On saturday, as we were driving to our current apartment, Aria got a bit fussy.

"What's wrong Aria?"

"I don't want to go to this home."

"Why not?"

"I want to go to our new home."

So, I guess we are making a good decision, and appeasing the right critics.

Words of encouragement are always appreciated. We are a bit nervous about this exciting change.

It kinda felt like Fall this weekend. The Santa Ana winds died down, and we had jacket weather for a few days. We took full advantage of the season and Kerri's good strength to visit the Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Ranch. It is almost a normal thing in the middle of OC. Aria loved the rows of pumpkins and finally chose one that was not too heavy, as most were said to be. We will go back for the Corn Maze, as they were closing for the day when we showed up. More Holiday fun next week.

Bandon Dunes

Earlier this year Kerri and Barbara treated Dad and I to a couple of rounds of golf at Bandon Dunes, OR. I know this is old, but it the coolest thing I've done in a while. We also had Dad and Barbara come down for the US Open. We were there Sat and were able to follow all of our favorites. Tiger won eventually after a great dramatic playoff on Monday.

Here are some pix of Bandon Dunes Scotland, sorry Oregon.

" I am doing it..."

Here is a picture of my GGGP Laban Drury Morrill. Look at those hands! It would be like shaking hands with a bunch of bananas.

Apparently someone told him a funny joke just before this picture, he was not known for displaying so much mirth. Laban is one of my family history heroes as an example of always doing what is right with the Lord. The second picture is of the rest of the family. I'm starting to think my particular brand of humor would be less appreciated a few generations ago.

Bubbles

Little Miss Bubbles accepts her crown. She loves her bubble baths

Yogurt

Easter Morning was greeted with Sheep at the table, and a full breakfast including yogurt, that despite all evidence actually made it to the inside of aria's mouth.

Disco Girl

This spring, Aria had a great time at Baby Loves Disco. A nightclub rents out its space for the daytime and stocks the bar with cookies, carrots, juice etc. Some parents dress up as well. Our little girl got her hair curled, and went Latin Ballroom style. (Think Lucile Ball y Ricky Ricardo) Redheads can pull off Latin. She won a prize ( children's books) for her great dance moves.

Per Request

Per request, here is a postcard I made for Aria of some photos taken this spring. Yes that's right Spring.

Announcing Baby Kian

Still under development, and expected to be released as an '09 model, These spy photos reveal the latest from the Morrill Design Group. The "KIAN" as it will be called, promised to be a smaller and lighter version of the couple's previous work. Nerw features include improved cuddibility, and enhanced immobility. No word yet as to the dB output of the running motor, though all can assume that it will be much louder and harsher than the delightful ARIA previously enjoyed. This year's model also has something new under the hood. Security was tight but our spy photos were able to make out a thinly disguised package of Hillshire Farms Lit'l Smokies incorporated in the new design. This brings a warm smile to Daddy's face, as he just bought some new gear at REI.

A recent Ward Luau called for something big on a shoestring budget. I designed these heads to be a simple decoration that had a lot of Wow-Factor for the money. We made four of these heads to greet our ward guests. There was also a 12' tall smoking volcano, but the heads were the biggger "hit" ( quite literally with some of the younger kids).

The attached Easter Island head was constructed out of a 4'x8' sheet of cardboard, a few cardboard scraps, and some glue. I have posted the design plans here in case your garden party just wouldn't be the same without a row of these somber gentlemen looming over your guests as they eat roast pig. I was able to make four of these in a couple of days, but it should take about 2 hours each if you had a good worksite. Enjoy!

Arialand California

Aria had a great time this spring at her own Amusement park just out in front of Disney's California Adventure. Who knows she might even like the attractions inside the park as much as running around her letters.
We had a great time at Club 33- there are some people that get to eat lobster tails for brunch, for brunch I say, along with filet mignon. It beats a churro.

Entering the Bloggosphere

I know we are late to the party,
but then again how much fun could you have had before we got here?