Thanksgiving 2011

I started this post a few weeks ago...

What a wonderful weekend we had in St. George! Mike and Martsi were so generous to offer their home for our family celebration. 15 adults and 14 kids!!! Lots of laughter, eating, games and chatting around the pool. It is a weekend that will always be remembered as "The Best Thanksgiving EVER!!!"

Huge 28 lb. Turkey!

Danny and Bre

Bronson and Chelcie

Matt and Em

Mike and Martsi

Mason, Carson, and Chris

Bella, Gracie, and Harley

A little pre dinner Football.

We decided to hike in Snow Canyon on Saturday. It was SO beautiful. Probably my favorite activity all weekend!

Most of The Gang. Minus Danny, Bre, and Benson... Plus a few neighbor kids.

Ava was attached to my Dad's side the whole time. He is so kind and patient with her!

I think my Mom hides when the camera comes out! Sadly, the only picture I have of her all weekend.

Taking in the gorgeous landscape. Ava ate all of Grandpa's apples :)

Memphis eating the sand :) I love this sweet boy!

Our one and only family shot of the whole weekend!

Another great memory of the trip...When our hike/exploring was over we came back to the cars. Danny and Bre told us they saw President Uchtdorf get out of his car where we were parked. Sure enough, down he comes from the hike with his wife, and grandson. We kind of bombarded him as he walked up the trail to the parking lot. Of course he was nice enough to entertain our group of 100 people :) and let us take up his time for a few minutes. The kids thought it was really cool to say his name over and over and shake his hand.

Again, a HUGE thanks to The Strong's for their hospitality! As I think of how our family has been spread out over a few states the last year, it makes it tolerable when we can have times like this together. A true treasure for me that's for sure! I often feel so lonely here at home now with my parents and sisters so far away. Looking forward to Christmas and having my Mom and Dad stay with us! And then next month, we get a new baby in St. George! Only a few more weeks Tiff, your misery and sacrifice are almost over and you'll have that sweet baby in your arms! Can't wait to meet this new little one!

Double Digits!

Happy Birthday to our Bella girl! On Saturday, November 5th, our oldest child turned the big 10!!! It really is unbelievable that she is this old. Where does the time go? She has turned into a amazing young lady who is smart, responsible, caring, sensitive, beautiful, sweet, and a joy to be around! She is a wonderful example to her 2 younger sisters. We are so proud of her and all that she has become.

We were talking about her big day weeks before it arrived...she was SO excited. She couldn't sleep the night before and woke up at 4:00 a.m. in anticipation of her special day. Luckily she fell back to sleep around 5:30 for a couple more hours :) Her birthday breakfast request - Einstein's Bagels. She had a long list of things she'd love to do on her day... She wanted to make the birthday cake. It turned out great! Her girlfriend party was lots of fun - Sherman Kendall Hair Academy for up do's, makeup, and nails painted. Bella has a great group of friends. They are all just so sweet and respectful. The gals at the salon commented that this was the quietest group of kids they had ever worked on. I caught a few smiles of excitement as they were getting their little make-over's. After her party, Bella wanted birthday dinner as a family. We tried out the new Brick Oven. After dinner, she wanted to go spend her gift cards at Target and Justice. What a busy, full, fun day she had!

If you look closely at Bella's ear you'll notice the big white burn mark :( So sad!!! Poor timid Bella jumped and said ouch but held in the tears. It's still sore today, a few days later. I felt SO bad for her.

Bella, what a special person you are! We love you so much and are so grateful you are a part of our family!

September - October 2011

As I sit here at the computer, It is winter outside :( We were in short sleeves at the park yesterday. I hate the cold weather! What's been going on at The Morley house you ask?

Ava starts Dance...

And Preschool!

She was trying to make a funny face :) LOVE this girl so, so much!

The Utes football season starts...Chris is so proud to have his family in Utah attire.

We decided to surprise the Girls with a trip to Disneyland! We are so obsessed with this place and had the best time despite the RAIN for a day and a half!

Notice "Tower of Terror" behind the girls. Ava was tall enough to ride most of the rides this time! She would want faster and higher and over and over again. As soon as the ride was done, she would ask to go again. Splash Mountain was her favorite. Her least favorite - Space Mountain but we still went on it 3 times!

What a wonderful trip with our little family. Some much needed fun after the horrible news at the Doctor's office a week before. We found out at 9 weeks pregnant that our baby's heart beat had stopped. Devastating. What a sad thing to go through. Once again, the love and support from our family and friends is what gets us through these tough times. I don't know what the future holds for us (as far as another baby) but I do know that I am so grateful for 3 wonderful, healthy children!

Happy Halloween -