Did I mention we moved?

So like I say with every new post the past 18months, I'm really behind and need to play catch up but I just can't seem to do that these days. Life has been on "Mach speed" for the past two years. And then since the day Naomi was born things got even busier!
As many of you know, we sold our house we had bought in 2006 in the summer of 2011 and that's when our whirlwind of moves began..to recap: we sold our house, moved into Paul and Cindy's guest house ( Mike, Nash, a 10month old Maverick and a 4 months pregnant me!) which by the way was one bedroom! Gracious of them for putting up with us for 7 weeks!
A very stressful few weeks of thinking we were moving into a rental only to back out then finally finding a rental and moving in September 2011. To be honest, I tried to do the best I could to be positive about the rental. It was on a cul de sac near Nash's school but it just didn't provide that open space I knew we needed for our growing family. Fast forward spring of 2012--Naomi is 4 months old and I'm starting to feel more and more cramped in our rental. The boys LOVED the backyard which for the record was huge (but no pool) and they were able to play a lot outside. Mike and I just opened our newest location of Floaties and we thought we should just sit tight and build up our monies again before looking for a new house to buy.....but I was feeling cramped!
So I did what any normal, logical thinking person would do, I called my agent and started looking at houses. I also began the long process of frustrating both myself and Mike because there were many houses we really liked but just a bit out of our current price range. In late July I actually fell in love with a house in the neighborhood we had almost bought in the previous summer. I LOVED it...perfect layout for our family, 5 bedrooms, pool, huge kitchen and the whole house had been updated. But it was going for close to a $1million dollars. Nope! Not gonna work right now. I was bummed.
So, Mike suggested we back off for a while which I agreed to but wasn't happy about it.
A few weeks later, we are in Hawaii when our agent calls us to tell us about a house that just listed and it's in the neigborhood we want and just up the street from where the house I loved was so I'm thinking there's no way we can get it. She tells us it's a "short sale" and we may have a chance. But we're in Hawaii the only day the house is shown. Our agent goes to see it and sends us some pictures and I convince Mike that we should at least put a low offer because "we probably won't get it anyway". He goes along with my crazy idea because he's certain like me that this is all smoke and mirrors and there's nothing that will come of this offer.
Guess what? There were 6 offers all very low but we were the highest offer and beat everyone else by $5,000! OH MY GOSH!! Mike panics but again, because I'm so rational (ha) I just tell him it still has to go through the bank process and the bank will probably deny our offer because it is so low from their asking price.  We wait 6 weeks maybe 7 weeks when the bank comes back with a YES!! This is happening! Mike again panics but when he stopped to think about what we were buying the house for and what it was appraised for and what we could sell it for down the road he got super excited.
Oh wait! Now we get to see the house! Remember, we had never seen the house when we put the offer in...yep! Crazy!
WOW!! Perfect floor plan! It's the exact model I fell in love with back in the summer. And breathtaking views because it sits on a hill. But....the current owners let a lot of things fall a part. YIKES! A pink pool and pink bbq? Mike was worried but again, here I come in with my "oh honey, it's ok it's not that much stuff to do". HAHA!!
We closed escrow on November 8th and within 5 minutes the carpets were being pulled out.
Over the course of 2.5 weeks we had new carpets, new paint, new appliances, lights and other things done along with ripping out everything in the back yard before we could move into the house.
We moved in the day after Thanksgiving!
It has been a whirlwind with moving, Christmas and then Naomi's birthday plus it's rained 85% of the time since we've moved in which has kept us from really unpacking etc.
But the kids LOVE the house as do Mike and I ....we have lots to do still but it's so nice to feel settled and knowing we own this house (rentals kind of suck) makes it all the more better.

So, the Morrill Family of Five are finally settled and making lots of new and fun memories in our new house!!

xo
Karyn

Happy 1st Birthday Naomi Kate 1/28/2013

I woke up with the biggest smile on my face this morning. Why? Because my sweet, precious, beautiful daughter, Naomi Kate was turning ONE!!!! I know this past year I have said in just about every post, "Where has the year gone?" but seriously, WHERE HAS IT GONE? How is she ONE already? I remember so much of the day she was born and everything we did leading up to her surprise arrival along with the friends and family visiting in the hospital.
Her first smile, her first tooth, crawling, "mama" and "dada", racing down the hall with her brothers, first bottle, plane ride, first pair of skinny jeans, swim lesson, tears, laughs, giggles, first holidays, first kisses and the list truly goes on......

But what I want to say to my sweet daughter tonight is this---what I remember most is the day I found out I was pregnant with you. I was shocked beyond belief and just didn't think it was possible. Then there was the day the doctor told me you were a GIRL and then the day I held you in my arms and heard your first cries. You had my heart, you had all of our hearts. I've never been more proud to have so much pink in my house, dolls, tea parties with the boys and fur vests! I remember thinking as I'm being wheeled out of the OR after just giving birth to Maverick, "I'm not done" but little did I know just a mere one year and 3 months later I would be holding you. Naomi Kate, you truly completed our family. Never in a million years did I think I would be the mother of 3 children and after Maverick I thought I was done having babies and would never know what kind of girl Mike and I would welcome into the world...and then there was you. Thank you for your smile, spirit, giggles, sassy attitude, willingness to cuddle and rock, the pink we all love as well as those tea parties the boys are starting to embrace and most of all, YOU. I could not imagine a life without you. Our family is better because you are here and I look forward to the future. I"m honored to be your Mommy.

Happy Happy Happy FIRST Birthday Naomi Kate Morrill....may all your dreams come true.

xo,

Mommy, Daddy, Nash and Maverick

Happy New Year 2013

Happy New Year from the Morrill Family!
Whew! it's been an insane few months! Well, actually it's been an insane 2012 so we are all looking forward to a "mellow" 2013...if that's possible.
The holidays were busy but a lot of fun. We moved into our house 2 days after Thanksgiving (that's another post that's coming soon) and put Christmas decorations and a Christmas tree up the very next weekend. I'm just now realizing we have to unpack!
Our family was so busy the entire month of December! Literally, from Black tie gala events, company dinners ( 2 this year!), invites to holiday lunches, Nash's Holiday School Performance, Morrill Christmas party, friends parties and the list goes on....
I can't speak for Mike but I think we had a great time. However, we're exhausted right now and actually happy to be back in the "daily grind"
My goal this month is to catch up on posting pictures and blog posts from the fall such as Nash's flag football, school performances, MOVING, Naomi crawling and taking steps so stay tuned. I've got a lot of catching up to do!
I'm looking forward to a fun, exciting, loving and memorable year with my husband 3 amazing and very funny children. I'm also excited this is the first time in almost 4 years I'm either not trying to get pregnant or am pregnant so this should be fun!!

Happy New Year!!

Naomi 10month Update

Seriously? Naomi Kate is 10monhts old!!

I know I've said it every month but I honestly don't know how she's 10months old...where did this year go? I barely remember this year. We've been too busy.
But not to busy to remember the fact that our baby is 10months old!!!
Facts:

2 teeth
crawls
"scoots" when she gets mad and just wants to stand
stands and walks around the couches and/or coffee tables
fiesty
sassy
no curls
just waves
blue eyes
18lbs
wakes up at 6am for a bottle then stays in bed til 7am...laughing
loves her j brand skinny jeans =)
eating pasta, chicken nuggets, butternut squash soup, mac&cheese, berries

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE having a little girl. She's so sweet, sassy, opinionated and just beautiful.

We are truly blessed!!

And the boys love their sister...it's so chaotic but just amazing at the same time. I love my kids!!

Maverick update

Oh my gosh! where do I even start???
Maverick is 2 months into his 2nd year and my oh my!!! He is a character!
The first thing that comes to mind with Maverick is FUNNY and in honesty, he melts my heart. In fact, he melts everyones heart these days. Maverick has this ability to touch our souls and hearts. Seriously. He is something special! Don't get me wrong, all of my children are something special in their own way but I"m talking about Maverick right now so go with it....

Maverick....

he makes me laugh, smile and scream all in the same 5 minutes.

insists on saying everything at least 5x when he "needs something"

the curls on his head are FREAKING INSANE

he's the most polite 2 year old I've ever encountered

tells me "i hold my hand" when I ask him to hold my hand. He then proceeds to hold his two little hands as he walks down the Target aisles!

when he's upset or afraid says to me, " I hold you" which means "hold me mommy/daddy"

makes his sister laugh all morning

makes his big brother so angry when he insists on playing itouch together

loves his big brother more than anything else in the world

favorite thing to do in the morning is visit Starbucks and let the old people drool over him

tells me after I've asked him if he pooped "no mommy, just a fart." Classic!!

his eyes light up when he smiles...he is this little soul we did everything in our power to have and even the days I'm questioning my sanity he will say or do something that remind me as to why I truly love being a mom.

is the funniest, most loving and special little 2  year old.....

Love you "Mavo"

Halloween 2012

 Halloween 2012 started out with the Painted Rock Costume Parade. The school really gets into the holiday and it's lots of fun to see the kids dressed up. Although, I do feel bad for the teachers especially the day after Halloween

Above is Iron Man and Wolverine, aka, Nash and Reese

 Iron Man in the parade

 Kevin and Mike watching the parade

 Since I'm the Room Mom this year, I had to leave the parade early to set up for the party. My co room mom and I decided no arts and crafts this year since their 1st graders! So, we did Halloween Bingo, Pumpkin Bowling and Guess the Ghost. It was a HUGE success and I was happy I got the thumbs up from Nash's teachers. Whew!

 Nash with Mike..if your are wondering Mike is dressed up as one of our Front Desk employees at Floaties.

 Annual Halloween Party- decorations galore this year including lolipop trees!

 Pre-party--the boys spray painting their hair. It's now 10 days past Halloween and both boys have color still in their hair. 

 We were the AVENGERS this year. Check out my Iron Man, Captain America (I finally get a girl and dress her like a boy!) and the HULK. Both boys took their costumes very seriously and literally became  their characters. Maverick is still turning into the Hulk on a daily basis. 

 I was Black Widow. I'm wondering why I decided to try to squeeze into a tight black body suit 9months after having a baby.

 Mike was Thor so the Avengers were complete.

 HULK!!!!!!

 I love that our Halloween party has become such a tradition for so many of our friends. It's a lot of work especially considering Halloween is also my birthday so I spend most of the day setting up then taking down later that night but it really is all worth it. It's one of my favorite days of the year.

 The big boys in their costumes and managing Ghost bowling for the kids

 Oh and yes, I turned 35 years old this year...that's another blog post because I've had a hard time. However, I truly appreciated breakfast in bed and the effort Mike and Nash put into making my birthday special!

 We brought in bails of hay to set up a picture spot. The kids had fun with it.

Halloween 2012 was a blast and so much fun. I hope the kids enjoy these memories. 

Pumpkin Patch 2012

 Our annual outing to the Scripps Ranch Pumpkin Patch with the kids, Nana, Papa and Gigi was a success this year minus the pumpkins. We left with no pumpkins because they were all flat on one side. But that didn't bother the kids one bit!

 Naomi enjoyed seeing all the lights, eating the hay and patting the pumpkins!

 Papa and Maverick checking out the "scary" slides!

 Maverick on his first pony ride. Nana was so proud

 Our little pumpkin Naomi Kate

 Our two silly pumpkins Nash and Maverick..notice how we have no pictures of the 3 kids together. I'm still trying to figure out how to get that shot!

Gigi and Nana with the littles. 

Me and my girl 10/31/2012

If I haven't said it in a while I'm saying it now..I LOVE having my little girl in our family. Naomi brings a whole new dynamic to the house and she's just so sweet. But don't let her fool you, she's a feisty baby who is already has an attitude. I have to tell the family members not to take anything personally because she's a girl!!! I love the fact that she's a mama's girl and snuggles with me in the morning after I get her out of her crib.
Love you little Naomi Kate!

We bought a new house!!!

As of this Thursday, November 8th, Mike and I will own our 3rd home together!! It's been a long road this past 18months but everything is turning out so great for us. We are moving into one of our favorite areas and most importantly we've got ROOM and SPACE for all of us. In fact, we've got an extra room for a playroom/office/guest room!!
More details to come but we are thrilled!!! We start ripping out carpets on Friday and before we can even move in we must repaint, new carpets and new appliances so we'll probably be moving in the week of Thanksgiving..nothing new for this busy family, right?!

"Kisses make it all better"

Maverick is very much into "boo boo kisses"
It started a couple of weeks ago when I took him to his 2 year check up and he got 2 shots in his leg. In an effort to calm him, I told him I would kiss his leg and make it all better. It worked! Maverick stopped crying instantly and even told Nurse Mike, "Tanks Mike". Melt my heart
So on a daily basis and several times a day, Maverick will tell me he hit his head, hurt his toe and the list goes on..but I need to kiss his boo boo. After I kiss it he says to me, "kisses make it all better" as he walks away. It's priceless and just so beyond cute!! He's right, kisses make it all better!!

Too cute not to post

I made pumpkin sugar cookies last week for Maverick to take to school for his birthday. The above picture is so precious. Just look at that sweet face. Maverick was thrilled to be taking cookies to his "fiends". His teacher had him wear a Birthday crown and I guess this just made Mav's day. He also came home singing, "happy birday to Mavick".

My sweet boy!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Maverick William 10/5/12

 Today is October 5, 2012 which means my little baby isn't so little anymore. Maverick William is TWO today! He woke up with 30 balloons covering the ceiling of his room and "pesents" in the living room and yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Mike, Nash and I were so excited to celebrate his big day.

 Last night, I told Nash and my Mom the story of what we did the night before Mav was born, the morning my water broke and watching Nash meet and fall in love with his brother for the first time.

 My heart burst with so much love when I first saw this little guy.

 Our first kiss!!!

 "Cuddle time" the first day Maverick and I were home from the hospital. I look forward to it every day now with my boys!

 Maverick has truly beat to the sound of his own drum, embraces life with a smile and laugh everyday, lights up every room he walks into and has made our family all the better.  Maverick is truly a blessing and a miracle.

 Maverick on his 1st birthday 10/5/11

 In such a short time, Maverick has gone from the baby to the middle child and he lives up not only to his name but the middle child persona. He can close the door to his room and play by himself but then not miss a beat as soon as his big brother is home -racing each other, playing tackle and riding the jeep together.

 Maverick started preschool this year, continues to swim, loves playdough and DANCE!!!

Happy Happy Happy Birthday Maverick!! The past two years have flown by but every day is a bucket of laughs with you. I'm looking forward to many more laughs with you. You are an amazing little boy.

We love you!! Mommy, Daddy, Nash and Naomi

Naomi Kate- first 7 months

 4 Months old

 1 month old

 Newborn

 2 months

 2months

 4months 

 3 months

 4months

 3 months

 5months

 4months

 5months

 6months

7months