Merry Christmas!!!

We thought Kaysen would hate wearing this Santa suit, but he actually loved it!



Getting milk and cookies ready for Santa!



Playing with Christmas toys!



Daddy cooked us some yummy Christmas breakfast!



Playing with more Christmas toys!!!



Santa got me just what I wanted...a Wiggle Car!

We had a wonderful Christmas and I guess my kids were even better than I thought because Santa sure did spoil them! Hope everybody had a Merry Christmas!

I've Been Tagged:

Here's the dirt on us:
What is his name? (Thomas) Jason Morrell
How long have you been married? In February we will celebrate 6 years!
How long did you date? 4.5 Awesome Months
How old is he? 29...he'll be 30 in June...Crazy!
Who eats more? I guess it depends...when I'm pregnant or nursing I think I eat more. I eat a lot during the day and not much at night and Jason eats nothing during the day and a lot at night!
Who said I love you first? My good ol' roomate Melinda put us on the spot with that one. She asked Jason if he loved me one night and he was like uh, yeah I guess I do, and then she asked me if I loved him and I said oh yeah baby!
Who is taller? Jason's a few inches taller than me.
Who sings better? Well, I definitely sing a lot more because I sing to everything that is playing on the radio, but that doesn't mean I have the better voice. Jason definitely has better tune and knows how to sing better.
Who is smarter? I think we're both smart in our different ways. If you sent me to work in a pharmacy I wouldn't have a clue what I was doing, but if you put Jason in charge of the house and kids all day, he wouldn't have a clue what he was doing either....haha!
Whose temper is worse? Definitely mine and Jason knows it too because he likes to see if he can get me riled up and get a reaction out of me. It takes a lot to get Jason mad.
Who does the laundry? That would be me
Who does the dishes? I do that as well
Who pays the bills? Jason earns the money, I send the checks in!
Who mows the lawn? Oh how would it be to have a lawn? We've just got dirt right now.
Who cooks dinner? I usually make an attempt at it, but it's never that great. Jason doesn't cook very often, but when he does, it's a lot better than my meals. Don't ask me how that works...probably because he adds lots of butter and all that good stuff and I'm always trying to be health conscious.
Who drives when you are together? Definitely Jason. I love road trips as long as I'm not the driver. If I'm driving, I hate it and want to be there asap!
Who is more stubborn? I think we're both a bit stubborn, but I think Jason is a little more set in his ways and it is harder to get through to him.
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Depends on the issue. We take turns for sure.
Whose parents do you see the most? Before we moved to Vernal, we saw Jason's parents a lot more because we lived closer to them, but now that we're in Vernal, we've seen my parents a little more.
Who proposed? Jason proposed on December 16, 2001. I was getting ready to go home to Kanab for Christmas break and before I left home, he took me out to eat at Sizzler and then we we went on a romantic walk up the canyon and it was all snowy and the river was all ice...it was so beautiful. When we got to the end of the path, we sat on the bench for a minute and snuggled and talked, and then it happened.
Who has more friends? I would say me. Jason has his old friends from high school and college, but hardly ever talks to them or sees them. I talk to my friends a lot and I try to get together with them whenever I can.
Who has more siblings? We both have the same amount. We both have 3 brothers and 2 sisters!
Who wears the pants in the family? Usually me because Jason is pretty easy going and tries to keep me happy, but if there is something Jason really wants, then he'll get his turn wearing the pants too!
Well isn't this interesting information. If you ask me, I'd say we lead pretty boring lives!

I Tag Jennifer Spencer, Lacey Laird, Jennie Forsyth, and Sarah Jimenez.

Happy 5'th Birthday Jaylee!!!

Tired Kaysen enjoying the party!






Okay! We're officially getting old! Jaylee turned 5 today and I can hardly believe it! I can't believe we really have a 5 year old!!! I actually looked for some of Jaylee's baby pictures from when she was first born so I could put them on here in remembrance of her birth day and I realized that 5 years ago, digital cameras were still too expensive for most of us to afford, so I don't even have her baby pictures on my computer! Anyways, we had a FUN day for Jaylee. We had the house all decorated for her when she woke up and we gave her a pretty 'Birthday Girl' ribbon to wear and she absolutely loved that! (I gotta appreciate my kids while they're still easy to please) Jason was lucky because his day-off just happened to be today too, so he got to spend the whole day with us! We didn't do a friend's party because we're still fairly new to Vernal and don't know too many people yet. We did have a fun family party though and got to enjoy Jaylee's yummy barbie birthday cake, pizza, and presents. We made a gingerbread house and decorated princess crowns too! We had a great day celebrating Jaylee and we are so glad that we were blessed with such a special little girl! We love you so much Jaylee! Happy Birthday!!!

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful!!!

After the first snowstorm!



After the 2nd snowstorm!



Our Death-Trap! Dare to knock on our door?



The poor trees have looked like this for a few weeks now! Frozen Solid!

It has been so cold here!!! It snowed like crazy a few weeks ago. The first snow storm never melted and then we got another huge snowstorm, and then a few small ones on top of that! I was out shoveling snow at least a couple hours a day (very good calorie-burner this time of year) and then I got really sick and gave up on it! Jason doesn't get home from work until 8 PM, so by that time, everything is frozen solid and you can't shovel, so when I got sick, it all just started piling up and then the COLD COLD COLD weather set in and has been here ever since and has frozen everything so you can't do anything about it! I put Christmas lights on some ground stakes to outline our yard and I don't think I'll see them again until May! Seriously, the snow has not moved! It can't even melt in this weather. It's insane! So, right when I got sick is when our neighbors started bringing Christmas goodies over and of course I don't have anything shoveled, so I feel really bad because our front entry way is a death trap! The steps have about 2 inches of frozen ice on them and right above the steps there are these crazy looking icicles! It looks more like a scary haunted house than a Christmasy Wonderland! Anyways, it's about this time that I'm kicking myself asking "Why in the world did we leave Page???" I see the weather reports and Page's low will be like 40, and our high will only be 17! Yikes! I think we'll just stay inside for a while and try and get out to Wal-Mart a couple times a week to get some exercise by taking a few laps around the store! :)

It's the most Wonderful time of the Year!!!

Our Yummy Treats!



Taste test to make sure they're good!



I had to throw a picture in with the vegetable tray because it saved us from eating all the junk!...Well, at least it helped!



Ready to deliver!!!

So, after I got through finals week, we got busy with all the things I've been meaning to do and I can officially say I'm now feeling the spirit of Christmas! I love it! We finally got Christmas Cards done and baked up a storm in the kitchen. Once again, Jaylee and Bretten were my little 'helpers' and they were so excited to help me deliver our goodies to our neighbors. Here are a few recipes we used:

*My Mom's Caramel Popcorn:
Pop a big bowl of plain popcorn, (we use an air popper to do this)
Then add these items to a saucepan:
1/2 Cup Butter (1 Cube)
1/2 Cup Light Karo Syrup
1/2 Can (about 7 oz.) Eagle Brand Sweetend Condensed Milk
1 Cup Brown Sugar
Dash of Salt
-Put ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil to dissolve sugars. Once everything is dissolved and smooth, pour caramel over popped corn and enjoy! This is so simple and is so yummy!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe EVER:
2/3 Cup butter flavored shortening (We use those already measured cubes of Crisco shortening...so convenient!)
2/3 Cup margarine/butter
1 Cup Sugar (white/granulated)
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 TBS. Vanilla
3 1/2 Cups Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
About 1 Package Chocolate Chips
-Cream shortening, margarine, & sugars together. Add eggs and Vanilla and mix again. Add all remaining ingredients and mix again. Put on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Tis the season to be jolly....and very busy!!!

Get Me Out of this Snow Suit!!!


Jaylee & Bretten Loving all this snow!!!


I had to put Jason to work!


Bretten and his 'moon' boots!!!


Look at me standing all by myself!!!

What a wonderful, but crazy time of year! It seems like we've just been going from one thing to the next lately.
We got a LOT of snow last week and now it is suppose to snow about 10 more inches tonight and tomorrow. The kids have loved playing in it, except Kaysen of course. I tried pulling him around on his sled but he didn't put up with it for too long because he didn't like his snow gear. He could hardly move with it on. He was so funny because when I first put it on him he was just looking at me like I was crazy if I thought for one second that he'd put up with it for more than a few minutes...and his look was right. He didn't put up with it!
Kaysen is getting more and more mobile each day. He'll probably be walking soon. He has been free-standing, walking along the furniture, and making every attempt possible to get past the gate at the bottom of the stairs so he can have an extreme climbing adventure! Needless to say, Kaysen has been getting lots of watchful attention from Mommy lately!
Bretten is a cute little rascal! We went and picked out some new winter boots for him so he could play in all the snow, but now he insists on wearing them at all times. I wouldn't let him wear them to church on Sunday and he threw a fit. The minute we got home from church, he took off his Sunday shoes and put his Spider Man boots on. I think it's pretty funny. He's been wearing them everywhere...and we've been getting lots of funny looks. :) I've been trying to get him interested in potty training and he just has no interest AT ALL! Today I could tell he was getting ready to go poop (there are things you just catch onto as a mother..haha) so I made him take his diaper off and sit on the potty. I told him how AWESOME it would be if he went potty on the toilet and once again tried to bribe him with the big yellow dump truck I've had sitting on my dresser. He sat there for a loooong time and wouldn't produce anything. I finally gave in and told him to get a pull-up to put on(I was in the middle of making cookies) and before I knew it, he had pooped, but oh no, not on the toilet. He had to do his business on the tile floor instead! Why???
Jaylee is soooo excited for Christmas! We have about 4 different things that help us count down the days til Christmas and she loves it (and I'm finding it's a good way to help both her and Bretten learn their numbers better). She's been doing tumbling classes a few times a week and has a Christmas program next Friday. She also has been loving pre-school and loves all the events that brings; Christmas parties, Christmas programs, Christmas decorating, etc.! How fun!
Jason and I are staying busy too. Our ward just got split and Jason and I have now been called to be primary teachers. Jason and another guy are over Jaylee's age group. I'm over Bretten's class. Fun Fun!!! I've been staying super busy trying to get the usual Christams stuff ready...cards, presents, baking, decorating, Santa visits, Christmas events, getting Jaylee's birthday stuff ready, etc. The list never ends. At least it's all fun stuff! I've also been trying to get all my ebay stuff listed because I've had it piling up for a while and I can't stand the clutter anymore. I picked a real good time to do it huh? To top it all off, I'm entering my finals week for my college class. It has been a lot of work, but I'm so glad it will be over in a week and I will finally be graduating!
Jason's work is getting ready to remodel the store, so he will have to start putting in a lot more hours for a few weeks because they have to keep the pharmacy open at all times during the remodel, so he'll be taking on some extra night shifts! Fun huh? Yeah right! Jason's new hobby has been building the kids these amazing huts! I tried building them one the other day when Jason was at work and they were begging me to make one. Well, I tried and then they told me so matter of factly that I just don't know how to do it and that they'd have to wait til Daddy got home because he knew how to do it right! haha! Well, sorry for the long blog, but I have to do it all at once because I don't know when I'll get a chance to update it again. Maybe I'll have some time in the next week or so since all the snow will probably keep me homebound! We're definitely living in a winter wonderland here!

We will miss you Grandma Gaddie!

We're sad to say that Jason's Grandma Gaddie passed away during Thanksgiving week. She was 94 years old! We will really miss her, but know that she was ready to go. We really got to know her the year that we lived in Cedar City and I'm so thankful for that because we were able to make some great memories with her. Our kids really loved her and loved going to see her at her care center. We loved swinging with her out on the patio at Jason's parent's house and having dinners with her and going on drives. Jason always tells us the best stories about when he used to visit her when he was a kid. She was an amazing person and we will really miss her! These are some pictures to remember her by!

Holly Days!

Vernal holds a big Holly Days event on the day after Thanksgiving every year. It is quite an event! They had stuff going on all day long. We didn't show up until about 6:00 PM because we found out about it kind of last minute; Yes, we're new in town! We waited in line in the freezing cold to see Santa Claus. The line was long and slow, but they were handing out free hot chocolate and had these huge long metal pits with wood burning to help keep everyone warm and handed out marshmallows and sticks to roast them with. We got to listen to Christmas Karaoke too! It was a log of fun. After the kids saw Santa, we went and rode "The Polar Express" and went by the firemen's station to ride trikes. The kids had a blast! What a great event to kick off the Christmas season!

Let us be Thankful!

My lovely family getting ready for the big dinner!


More Hungry Family


The Family before the big feast!


Jason and Kaysen


Scoping out the Black Friday Ads!

We were able to spend Thanksgiving at my Mom and Dad's house in Springville. We had a wonderful time and have so much to be thankful for! I feel so blessed to have such an amazing family. We had a great thanksgiving feast with great company! Thanks for a great dinner Mom!

Jake's Birthday!

Cute Cousins, Bretten and Kelsey


More Cute Cousins, Jaylee, Brooke, and Brinly


My brother Andy, his wife Clarissa, and my niece Cambrie (and one on the way)


All 22 of us! Poor waiter!!!


Our little family!


My nephews Kaden and Tyler, brother Jake, niece Brooke, and sister-in-law Clarissa


My Dad and my sister Cari and her family


The newlyweds, Josh and Sunny

Happy Birthday Jake! We went out to celebrate Jake's birthday at Red Robin. The whole family (except Danny, who is in Tahiti on his mission) was there! We had great food and a great time! I tried the barbeque chicken wrap, which didn't sound that great to me, but my sisters told me it was to die for, so I tried it and WOW! It was amazing! I've never really liked wraps, or barbeque sauce, but this was awesome, so, if you've never tried this, go out and get yourself one.