The Morris Christmas Carols of 2016

We three kings of Orient are bearing gifts we traverse afar... Our family hit the road for over 20 weekends this year. We traveled to Albuquerque, Kansas City, Dewey, Amarillo, San Antonio, Lake Coleman, and more. We enjoyed lots of family visits, roller coasters, Braum’s milkshakes, aquariums, campfires, the Alamo, and hot air balloons. 

The first Noel the angels did say…. Clare Noelle has had quite a few firsts this year. Clare created and presented a project about blue whales for her gifted and talented program. She has joined a Girl Scout Brownie troop that keeps her busy earning badges. In the summer, Clare mastered doing handstands in the pool, swinging for hours in our backyard, and went on her first riverboat ride. We were also able to go with her to see the incredible musical, The Lion King. 

Lo, how a rose e'er blooming from tender stem hath sprung… Olivia Rose is blooming and growing right before our eyes. Her curly blonde ringlets are getting longer each day. Olivia continually surprises us with new feats; like climbing tall ladders, joining stranger’s booths at Chick-fil-a to be friendly, walking our cat by holding her tail like a leash, and already opening some presents under the Christmas tree. She is a handful, but you can’t beat her cheery smile and sweet personality. 

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day… To celebrate our 10 year anniversary, we were lucky enough to get away to Oahu, Hawaii. We spent our days snorkeling among colorful tropical fish, swimming with peaceful sea turtles, touring Pearl Harbor, dancing at a luau, and tasting all of the local cuisine we could discover. Kevin loved driving us to a new sight-seeing adventure each day, and Mary loved getting an uninterrupted nap each day. A special ‘thank you’ goes to both of our supportive parents who watched the girls for us back at home. 

Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright… While most nights are silent and peaceful, we have had a few this year that were anything but. Sleepless nights with Clare when she caught a very painful pneumonia virus. Lukewarm baths with Olivia at 2 am in attempt to bring down a high fever. Worried nights thinking about the future when Mary’s Mom was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Nights crying when Mary’s Grandpa passed away in October. And of course, there was a night or two of searching for a 9V battery to quiet the annoying, beeping smoke alarm in middle of the night. Luckily all the bad nights were swept away by the dawning of a new day and the hope for a better tomorrow. 

Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth, Peace Good Will Toward Man… As we close this letter to you, our family hopes you are filled with peace this Christmas season. Peace does not mean to be in a place with no trouble, sadness, noise, or conflict. It means to be in the midst of all those things and to still find the calmness within. We wish you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Kevin, Mary, Clare & Olivia

Clare Quotes (7 Year Old Edition)

My Clare is growing up so fast, so each year I try to chronicle the awesome "kid things" she says.  Here is her 7 year old edition!

Momma, I have a question mark in my head.

Talking about our dog: Daisy is such a ding dong.

Talking about playing limbo with her two classmates: They don't do it right, because, you know, they're just kids.

While playing a hula-hoop game: My hips got the groove!

Clare: Do you know what those thick DVDs are called? 
Me: VHS?
Clare: Yeah

While seeing Kevin kissing me: Daddy's kissing his girlfriend.  Daddy's kissing his girlfriend.

I think William and his guardian angel play baseball in heaven. Maybe all the kids that died and their angels play together.

Asking a magic eight ball:  Can momma rob a bank and has she? (shake, shake, flip) It says "Definitely so!!!!"