Offically 3 Years as a "Morris"

Scott and I have been married for three years today! Though we've only been married for what seems like a short time, we've been together for almost eight years...but the past three years have been the craziest, most stressful and BEST ever!

I found a picture that was taken about five years ago (within a few weeks) and it's funny to look back and think about what was going on in our lives then. We actually didn't have any responsibilty at this point: (ahh to go back to those days) I was going to the U, working part time at the mall and doing an internship with Rumbi Island Grill. Scott was working at Autoliv full time and spent every night I could see him with me! So cute...and man how times have changed.

Over the past three years Scott and I have grown closer, more honest with each other, and more compassionate. Though things got thrown our way (a little quicker than we anticipated) we've come out of everything on top and are so excited about our future.

The best thing that has happened to us while we've been married is our little man: Carter Morris of Washington Terrace (he tells everyone that when he meets them) He has been such a great addition to our lives and has made us a family...I couldn't have asked for a better son.

Every night Scott and I talk about how lucky we are to have Carter in our lives....and now I really can't wait to meet our new little guy.

Scott is my best friend (and has been for 8 solid years) and I couldn't imagine my life without him. (though things haven't always been great in our lives) I still wouldn't want anyone else by my side.

I can't believe how quickly things have changed for us...it's amazing to think that three years ago I graduated from the U, was working full time at Kennecott Land (a dream job and salary I might add) and we were just planning our new life together...and now we have a 2 1/2 year old, a house, a dog, and now another little boy on the way! Life is so crazy sometimes.

Our First Family Vacation!

For the first time ever, Scott and I decided to embark on a "Morris Family Vacation." He actually had Saturday off (and of course Memorial Day) so we thought it was perfect timing. At first we were just going to celebrate our anniversary (really in a few days) but thought that having some "family-time" for our little threesome would be so much more fun...and we were right!

We left our home (and little Timmy) Saturday afternoon and headed for Park City. I found a great package deal for our hotel and we actually got upgraded to a King Deluxe Room for free! It was so much fun, they had a 24-hour "hot beverage bar and goodies," a huge gourmet breakfast, and the room was really nice.

Carter has never been to a hotel before, so as we were walking through the hall to get to our room, he kept asking if we were going to leave him at the Doctor's. (So funny) We had a King bed (which I now really want) so Carter slept with us and had a ball!

His favorite thing was playing in the sink! We pushed our cooler up to it and he sat there with a cup and soap playing for ever!

Of course Carter's best friend "Ellie the Elephant" had to join us on our family vacation...and luckily for her they even had a small bed just for her. Carter had so much fun making her bed and covering her up with her "blankets" aka: our towels.

The next morning after breakfast (which was amazing) we took Carter to the Heber Valley Railroad where none other than Thomas the Train was there! Carter just about died! (Though he really did have a great time...the stinkin' kid would not pose for the camera!) This is Carter on the train ride...Scott insisted that we ride in the open boxcar...I would have loved the enclosed one...but Carter absolutely LOVED it! He wouldn't sit still for anything. It was rainy on and off that day, but during the ride it was gorgeous out. Scott really didn't know what to expect because some people at his work said that the whole event was lame...but once we got there... he coulsn't be more thrilled. The look on Carter's face and everything he was so excited about...PRICELESS! Here are my two boys... The Thomas the Train was so clean, fresh and "actual-like" it was GREAT!They had so much for the kids to do and see, it was so entertaining. The next best thing for Carter (other than riding Thomas) was meeting Sir Topham Hatt. (Again with the weird posing for our little man) They had a petting zoo there as well. These horses, some might have been donkeys, were so calm and loveable. There were so many kids, loud noises and weird smells, but these animals stayed so calm. It was neat to see. They also had a temporary tattoo section and the kids chose which one they wanted and got to get "tattooed." It was really cute and Carter picked out a helicopter one, and the entire day made sure it was still on his arm. It was such a fun time, they really did a great job of planning it all out with lots for the kids to do. Carter had so much fun and kept wanting to walk around and see more things with Thomas the Train. This will definitely be a family tradition for us. When Scott put Carter to bed tonight, Carter kept talking about Thomas and wants to know when we're going back. That's all I needed to hear for my "thanks" for planning the trip for us.

Reflections....

So my prego hormones are totally getting to me lately...not really in the "psycho" way, in the "reflecting" way. I think constantly about what it's going to be like with TWO kids, I wonder what Carter is going to do, I can't wait to see what this little baby looks like, and I can't believe how much has happened in my life already!

My dad had us all over for a nice, relaxing BBQ on Sunday. It was just what our little fam needed. Who wouldn't be happy with some good (free) grillin', non-alcoholic margaritas, and a some good ol' fashioned family time in Syracuse right?

What's really cool is there is this "nature park" in Syracuse where you can fish, walk, ride

or just enjoy the nice weather we're having. We love coming here because there's alot to look at and do, and Carter just loves seeing the pelicans "ski" across the water. (Don't mind Scott's goofy grin....he's never been great in pictures.)

Carter has this bike at my family's house that he loves to ride on, mostly because we push him around and all the little guy has to do is steer. (He's not really that great at that part though) It's times like these that really help Scott and I take a step back and realize what life is all about. It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day things (like preparing for a new baby) but when we have family time like this and really just enjoy being together...it makes everything better.

Another thing that got me thinking about how much has happened over the last couple of years is Carter's cute friend, Hunter, came over to play. Carter and Hunter have a special relationship because Ashley, Hunter's mom, watched Carter for me while I worked. He would go over to their house about twice a week for about 10 months. So the boys practically grew up friends.

The most amazing part, is that now that the two boys can run around, talk and play with each other, they really have such a great time. They do so well together and really feel so comfortable with each other. Ashley and I love seeing how they play. It's amazing to me that Carter was not quite a year old when he became friends with Hunter, and now he'll be three years old in a matter of months! CRAZY!

They are such cute friends and now that I'm home and they live closer to us, it's so much easier for us to get the boys together.

The last few weeks have been great...I've been getting things accomplished, making headway with Carter with disciplining, and just getting excited for this new baby boy to arrive. Being emotional (which I'm usually pretty level headed) has made me think about the things that we've done and gone through over the past few years...it's amazing (and a little stressful) and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us.

Carter's Driving Guys! .... Dinner Side Made FUN!

Carter has this car that we got for him when he turned one...and he has LOVED it ever since! He drives it everywhere, and because it's blue, he says it's his Blue Camaro just like Daddy. The engine comes apart and it came with its own set of tools, so while Scott is out in the garage working on real cars...Carter is out there too, working on his own car. It's really cute.

The other day we all went for a walk, and Carter decided it was time to introduce his "Blue Camaro" to the real outdoors.

He is getting a little too big for it now, so the walk was waaaay slow! But he enjoyed every mintue of it! We have this great park by our house with a paved walkway and huge fields to play in, so it really was a fun time.

That night I made "Snail Breadsticks." It turned out way cute! And was really easy too! Basically, all you do is take the breadsticks (from the tube) and roll almost all of it up in a ball and then roll the last part down for the head. I used some cut pepperonis for the "eyes" It was really fun....and Carter LOVED it! Scott was even a little surprised at how well it turned out.

We're just enjoying being outside, soaking up the sun and having some fun times as a family of three...for as long as that lasts!

Our version of Camping...

So, for those that don't know, I'm not the "outdoorsy" type of person. I really try and though I don't hate it when we go up in the mountains or camping, I would much rather be in a hotel room ordering room service and watching movies and taking a bubble bath. But I married an avid "outdoorsy" type of guy, so I really try to enjoy it more now. And I have noticed that Carter just adores being outside and going off-road up in the mountains. (So what do you do when you're outnumbered?)

GIVE IN! (or in my case, COMPROMISE!)

We bought a cute little firepit, marshmallows and found some sticks and had a blast in our own backyard! Scott had to use some "boy scout water" to make the fire really blaze, but I have to admit the marshmallow roasting was AMAZING! Carter takes after me and loves marshmallows, so this was a special treat for him as well.

We've also discovered that we have the PERFECT backyard for water sliding! Though Scott has hated mowing our "terraced" backyard for the past three years, it's really a great yard for Carter to play in. And the water slide is no exeption.

We finally had to drag the little man inside when his lips started turning purple. But he was loving every minute of it!

Being a Mommy...Soon of Two...

Lately I've been in the "get 'er done" mode because our new arrival is coming shortly. Our "to-do" list before the baby has been getting bigger and bigger...and our time is getting shorter and shorter. But, it's when things get really crazy for us that it forces us to take a step back and reprioritize. We have really been focusing on spending a ton of one-on-one with Carter lately and it's been great!

It's a little sad, but so exciting to think that this past Mother's Day would be the last one with only one little boy. I have done so many things in my life (and they all started at a young age) but being Carter's mommy has been, by far, the best job ever! I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Today, my family took Carter and I to our first-ever Jousting Contest! In North Ogden they were having a Renaissance Fair and we had a BLAST! Carter had never seen men in ful-body armour before riding on horses. It was such a fun experience!

Here's the gang watching the show!

In baby news: Our little guy is already 4 pounds 5 ounces! So for sure he's going to be bigger than Carter was, but everything seems to be going as planned. This time around things are so easy, though I am sick more, the pregnancy part is great! My belly keeps growing everyday, along with other parts of my body too. (That part isn't the greatest, but what can you do?)

We are just doing the day to day things, spending time with Carter and getting everything we want done before our second little boy arrives.

Silly Carter and a CREATIVE Mother's Day Craft...

Scott and I have been living in our home for almost 2 and a half years now...and of course we first focused on the inside of the home (where we live 10 months out of the year) and have completely neglected the outside. So, now that the inside of our home is where we want it to be, we're focusing on the outdoors.

I found this pot at Savers for $1.50. Now when I foudn it, it was a grey-ish and completely worn out looking....of course though I saw its potential and knew it was going to look great on our front entryway.

Carter had to "help" me spray paint it the color that I wanted...and once it was dry I promised him he coudl play with it.....silly little boy!

Scott and I were orgainzing our bills at the dining room table today and Carter pulled up a chair, climbed up on the table and put on Scott's hat just like this.....

Our little 2 1/2 year old is sure keeping us on our toes!

For Mother's Day I found this great idea in a magazine (I of course tweeked it a little to make it more "my style") and wanted to share...it's easy, fun, creative, and inexpensive.

The supplies you need are: colorful handprints, toothpicks, and tape.

Basically, you "roll" the fingers of the handprints and then twist around a toothpick to make them look like flowers...and this is what you get!

I found these mini pots and tied a bow around them and filled them with paper. I always hate giving flowers to people (especially my mother) because it doesn't do justice to how grateful I am and how much they mean to me...but this is a great way to "give flowers."