Stank Face

Since Lily was just a few months old, she has had a very special face she reserved for those who made her especially mad.

Behold, the Stank Face. The picture quality is poor, (I held off on posting this in hopes of a better shot, but alas, it has eluded me) but don't you feel the venom? It stings!
But wait. We discovered the true origins of the beloved (and highly sought after) Stank Face. The picture stinks, but believe me, they are the same!


She is more and more like her Papa every day.

THE shoes.

She absolutely HAD to have these boots. It didn't matter that they were 8 sizes too big. She HAD to have them.

Didn't I realize they had pretty sparkles? Didn't I understand that she just loved them and would die without them?

She tried them on 3 times, each time begging me for the money to get them. But just like any mean mom, I said no. "But they fit PERFECT, mom!"



I am quite possibly the meanest mom that ever lived. She told me so.

Crazy Day

We discovered the AC had inexplicably quit working last Tuesday. Around midday, I started to notice I was getting warm. I would go down the hall and glare at the thermostat and think to myself, that thing is lying! Then I would complain to Matthew in the study about how I was going to melt. Then I would glare at it on my way back to the family room.

Repeat.

Only later did we connect the putrid burning smell we believed was coming from our meth lab neighbors with the fact that our AC had quit. Of course, the pictures that the AC guy showed us, with the entire unit half melted away, was king of a give away. Yep, neighbors, that stink was an electrical fire! Thankfully (the AC guy said it was a miracle) the fire didn't get past the roof shingles. I guess the Lord knew the Morris family could only take so much, and a house fire wasn't included in that list.

But a leaky faucet was. Thankfully, Bro Dorrity takes care of us. With a quick twist of his wrist, some "help" from a VERY eager 4 year old, and a lot of patience, he managed to stop the leak. Thanks!


Then Pooks and Mom and I went over to Amber's to help plant some beautiful bushes on the side of her house. It was a lot of fun, too. There's nothing like digging in the dirt and making something beautiful at the same time. I love it.


And Pooks loved it too!!!! She was a very enthusiastic helper, of course!!!!

Overall, a good end to what could have been a very crappy day.

Just Because They're Cute

She alternates gnawing on the puffs and her foot...

On a trailer being pulled by a 4 wheeler in Idaho country. Heaven.

Beautiful girl

Leave me alone, Mom. I'm playing!

Food Coma

First day of the second year of preschool.

Love

Life has been a little tough lately. I know, boo hoo, right? I'm not going to sit and catalog all my woes, because that would be stupid and pointless. Believe me, I don't want sympathy or pity. I mention it because I find it strange that with all our trials, I have really been focusing a lot lately on one thing. I have a family member that has made some really horrible choices. I'm talking major, life altering choices. But I find I've been so weighed down by the effects of these choices, what its doing to other members of the family, etc., that I just couldn't let it go. I just got angry. SO angry. Angry and obsessed. I think I just didn't know how to deal with it all. What do you do when someone hurts you and those you love the most? How do you handle it? How do you forgive something like that?

I can honestly say that I have kept my resolution to study the scriptures and pray like I know I should. It has really changed my life in so many ways. But for the first time in my life, I discovered that just reading your scriptures, saying your prayers, and going to the temple doesn't always fix everything. There was something I was missing. And even though I really have given it my all, I just couldn't figure it out. That anger was always there, no matter what.

I guess I just needed a good person to talk me through everything. With some help, I came to three realizations tonight:

1. Just because you make bad choices doesn't make you a bad person.
2. There is always hope.
3. Every person is a child of God and deserves to be loved.

I don't know why it took me so long to apply these to my situation. I tell Pooka all the time that even when she makes mistakes, she's still a good person. I guess its just a little harder to see when you're hurting. And its hard to imagine people coming back from their big mistakes, especially if they don't believe they've done anything wrong. But its so important to remember to keep that hope. How would I feel if I made a mistake and everyone just pushed me to the side and left me for a goner? After tonight, I realize that by losing hope for someone after they've sinned is like saying the Atonement doesn't apply. How absurd is that! Just the thought makes me cringe. But I think the most important thing I remembered tonight is you have to remember to love someone even when they've really hurt you. Its hard to understand in the moment, but if you can just get to the point where you love someone again, everything else doesn't matter as much.

Love really is everything.


Thanks Maria.

Happy UNbirthday! Cake

I was a little depressed so I decided to make a cake today. It works for my sister in law, so I thought I'd give it a try. When Pooka asked me why, the idea popped into my head: Its your and Lily's UNbirthday!

Why not?

The problem is, I had never made a cake from scratch before. I had no idea what I was doing or if the recipe would even turn out. But I trusted that good old Martha Stewart knew what she was doing and that I could read well enough to follow instructions.

First mistake: not having the right pans. As you can see, the cake is kind of funkily shaped. Bottom layer was done in an 8x8. Top layer was a 9x2 round. Hence the funkiness. I kind of like it!

Second mistake: I got lazy and cheap and out popped the canister of frosting. It doesn't really hold up that well for this kind of thing, especially when there are crumbs involved.

Of course, Ivy didn't care what it looked like. Anything involving any kind of party is like heaven to Pooks. And I must say, it was very yummy! Yay me!

And Happy UNbirthday to my girls!

Swim Class

Last week we began the adventure that is swimming lessons. I figured that Pooka would do great because she would sprout fins and live in the sea if given the opportunity. I should have know...
The first few days were ok. She was doing what her teacher, Peru, wanted her to for the most part. But the last two days of class, she had just had it. My kid was the cute little preschooler screaming her head off, clinging to the teacher for dear life while all the parents laughed. Peru was really good about it too. He eventually got the hint that Ivy is just a tad bit stubborn (just a tad, now) and mimed throwing her into the pool. I gave my go ahead nod and in she went. That was what it was like for the rest of the time. This big guy forcing my screaming 4 year old to do something she said she wasn't going to do. And every single time, she had fun. Who would have guessed?

This morning's lesson was Pooka's last of the session. Considering the fact that she refused to do most of the stuff by herself, it didn't come as a shock at all when Peru told me she wouldn't be able to move on to the next class. But what DID shock me was when we went swimming this afternoon, Ivy said, "Mommy! Look at what I can do!" and proceeded to do EVERYTHING she refused to do at class. And I mean everything! WHAT A STINKER!
Even if she pretended not to know how to swim, it was worth it to see her play with some new friends! The little boy is just as crazy as Pooks and just as sweet too. All three were just adorable.

Well, my little stinker had a great time, even if she didn't' pass. Just a little practice in the big pool and she should be good to go. Yeah for swim class!