Andrew's Photo Blog!

Andrew has created a blog to display his large format photography. He doesn't have a website yet (no time and not enough pictures just yet), so I convinced him to do a blog--similar to the format of my dad's art blog and another artist we know in our ward. So check it out! http://www.andrewmorrillphoto.blogspot.com/.

For those of you who don't know Andrew, he got really interested in large format photography (the film is 4 x 5) when we visited a photography gallery in Southern Utah a few years ago. It blew us away--the detail you can get with large prints is incredible. A 4x5 camera is equilavent to about a 200 mega pixel camera. Unfortunately, the one he has (a cheaper model) is very heavy and doesn't lend itself to easy picture taking (like digital cameras). It's also expensive to have the slide film scanned and printed--so he doesn't have very many just yet. We had one printed (but not framed) and he just ordered two more prints (one for my sister and one for his grandpa). Photography has really become his passion--I've been very impressed and amazed at how much he has taught himself in such a short period of time. He's improved a lot--very quickly. He eventually would like to be able to do photography full-time. I love his pictures and look forward to when we can actually afford to frame them! :)

"Hukilau"

Ellen will be happy to see this. We got out the Dog Train book/CD by Sandra Boynton tonight. Sandra wrote the songs and illustrated the pictures. Kate especially loved this song--as you can see. Andy (Andrew's dad) was over tonight helping us with the house again. He calls her his little "Hukilau" because of the way she uses her arms when she dances. He thinks it's very Hawaiian. :) I don't know about that, but it is a cute nickname.

(In case you were wondering, she is holding on to a Brinks lock.)

Kate's First EVER Hair Clipper...Thinger.

Kids are so precious when they're sleeping (they're always precious--but you know what I mean).

I decided to put a hair thingy on Kate today. I have to start practicing this girly stuff--I guess. I don't want her to look like a ragamuffin by the time she's in pre-school. I had to fight the urge to pick it out of her hair--like a piece of dried food. It just didn't seem to belong in her cute little hair--but I'm sure I just need to get used to it. I went almost an entire year without decorating her head. That's somethin', right?

Our HOA's Going to be DOA if They Don't Fess Up

So, we've always been a little annoyed with our HOA. They've left really rude (and horribly misspelled--which is what really gets me) letters on everyone's doors and they charge us $175/year for general maintenance (fence repair, roads, clubhouse upkeep), but we've never seen them keep anything up. We should have gone to their meetings--but we haven't. Well, now comes the real irritation. Comcast just doubled their prices on us, so we decide we're going to switch to iProvo that was installed here not long ago (it's cheaper now than Comcast and the internet is 3x as fast--yay!). Andrew found out from iProvo today that we can't get it because our HOA has told them they can't install it in our neighborhood. What the ?? Shouldn't they notify us of something like that? It just doesn't make any sense why they wouldn't want it here. Something's fishy...

Anyway, we're irritated. So Andrew marched down (with Kate in her pajamas) to an old lady's house that collects our annual fee. She said she didn't know anything about it. But he told me over the phone, "She seemed nervous, though." Yeah--we're on to them! She gave him the name of the president, so Andrew's going to give him a talking to on Wednesday. It's time to get involved. We could persuade some really scary druggies to go to those meetings (just tell them their precious drug money is lining the pockets of the HOA president--:) )! Picture Girls Just Want to Have Fun when all the freaks bust in on the fancy birthday party. Heh, heh, heh.

Kate's Cousins

Trying to get in on the reading action
The oldest cousin in the family (Kimber) was excited when she realized Kate's hair was long enough to put into "pony tails." She looked more like an alien with antennas. She seemed fascinated by Kimber and sat dutifully on her lap while she did her hair. There's no chance she would do that for me (if I wanted to do her hair). Kimber thought we should dress her up as an alien for Halloween.

Hunter liked to get right in Kate's face--she did her best to escape. Conner did the same thing--she kept scooting away until her head bumped into the wall and she realized there was no way out. Poor thing. She didn't cry at all, though. She loves being around other kids.

Another Transformation

I should NOT be blogging right now. I haven't prepared my lesson for tomorrow yet, but I just needed to take a little break first. Today has been NUTS. We had another showing. This time it was a cute young family--two little kids. We really hope this is the one! It was kind of funny--an hour before they were supposed to come, I put a frozen pumpkin pie in the oven. So by the time they came there was a nice pumpkin pie aroma. Heh, heh, heh. However, it was mixed with the smell of cleaning supplies and bleach. So it might not have had the desired effect.

Anyway, I just wanted to post a picture of our bedroom. Obviously, just a snap shot--Andrew will take a better one to post on the realtor's site. It's not really an accurate depiction of the color--but you get the idea. We are getting really close to done now. It still needs quite a few finishing touches. The bathrooms still need trim--then DONE.

Once again...TAGGED

Best thing you cooked last week: A Jenn concoction--cut up chicken, red and green peppers cut into strips, and mushrooms cooked on the stove in olive oil. With a bit of garlic salt on top, served over rice with soy sauce. I made it one day when I was trying to come up with stuff to eat that didn't have milk. It's one of my favorites now and super easy to make. Also good with salmon.

If money, time, and babysitting were no object, where would you go and with who: That's a toughie. Probably mainland China with Andrew. I would love to go exploring in the back country.

When was the last time you cried: During last period. It's almost a guaranteed monthly ritual.

Five things I was doing ten years ago:

1. Finishing up my senior year of high school (thank goodness)

2. Dating a junior kid

3. Working a telemarketing job, I'm sure

4. Figuring out where the heck I was going to college since I didn't get accepted to BYU Hawaii

5. Driving a 1986 Ford Bronco--yeehaw!

Five things on your to do list today:

1. Go GROCERY SHOPPING (it has been much too long)

2. Drive to my sister's in Riverton to show her the proof of a picture Andrew took for her of the SLC temple.

3. Spend some quality time with Andrew and Kate

4. Prepare my lesson for Mia Maids on Sunday

5. CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN

Five favorite snacks:

1.Pretzels and M&M's (salty and sweet--mm mmmm)

2.Twizzlers

3.Popcorn and hot chocolate (or Saltines and hot Chocolate)

4. Strawberries and Chocolate

5. Toast

Five bad habits:

1. Not hanging up my clothes when I take them off

2. Sometimes interrupt people when they're talking (I don't know why I do this! It bugs even me when I do it. I noticed I do it sometimes when I'm nervous and I'm worried the conversation is going to die off.)

3.Leaving clean laundry on the couch to be folded (then not folding it)

4. Leaving piles of dishes in my sink (for days)

5. Not reading my scriptures every day!

Five favorite foods:

1. Lasagna that my mom makes

2. Cafe Rio salad

3. Andrew and I tried to invent our own Cafe Rio salad--it's pretty yummy

4. Mashed potatoes

5. Any food that I don't have to cook!

Top five places I've been:

1. Hong Kong

2. Norway

3. Denmark

4. Paris

5. Any National park in UTAH

Five favorite memories: (this is really hard and just the ones I could come up with)

1. Holding Kate for the first time--it was surreal

2. Wedding day

3. The MTC--what an amazing place. One of my favorite things about it was going to devotionals on Sunday nights and getting to listen to the apostles speak. There were so many good memories there--I loved it all.

4. When I was pretty little my mom and dad would come back from their dates, and my mom would come in to say good night and sing a song. I still remember the way she smelled--fresh from outside. It was so comforting to know that she was inside again.

5. A few months before I got pregnant, Andrew and I went camping at Kodachrome Basin State Park in Southern Utah--in JANUARY. Even though it was southern Utah, it was still freezing. At night, we took HOT showers and then put our tent right by the fire (not very smart, probably...) and opened up the tent doors to let the heat come right in. We were snuggled up in sleeping bags and just chatted. It was very toasty. We woke up with frost covering us--but that night was sure fun!

Andrew took this at Kodachrome

I tag Sabrina, Misty, and ELLEN (Ellen, you could put yours on the Farnsworth site) and whoever else wants to play.

A Walk with Kate

Kate is getting what appears to be a "Baby Mullet." You can kind of see it in this one.
She's wearing a much too large BYU sweatshirt. I just wanted to see how it looked! It's rolled up to her elbows. I was sporting a BYU shirt and blue sweatshirt myself--we were matching.

Trying to touch the moon. ;)

Just being cute Kate listening to the scary ducks quacking nearby.

I can feel the nightmares already...

Great...today at work I read about a lady in New York who went to her bathroom (this was on Monday) in the morning and looked over at her toilet to see a python's head sticking out the top! She screamed, slammed the top of the toilet down, put a large box on top and ran for help. It was a 9 foot python in the pipes! Can you imagine?? That was one of the most disturbing things I've heard in a while and I'm sure it will not help my toilet phobia.

I've also read about a million articles this past week about the lady who bought a can of green beans at the Lehi Walmart, and was fixing lunch for her family. She dumped the green beans out and there on top--was a RAT head. Oh man! The really stupid part of the story and what made it get national news is that the spokesperson for the green bean company said that the rat head was perfectly edible--since it was cooked at such a high heat. AS IF that matters! I hope he got fired for saying that. It's made headlines all over the country--"Rat Head Safe to Eat, company says."

In case you are wondering (if you don't know)--I work for a press clipping agency. I always find it very hard to describe what it is I do. Basically, people (big companies, small companies, government, the LDS Church, --basically anyone) hire our company to follow them in the press. Anytime their product or company or whatever it is is mentioned, we send that article to them electronically. When the client gets articles that are irrelevant or don't match what they're looking for, they get sent back to me and some other people in QA. We read them and the client's instructions and decide if the clip should have been sent or not. Anyway, probably too much information for you all, but that's what I do. It's actually been a very interesting job--I get to read a lot of news about things I would normally never read about, I'm sure. I feel very informed!

Kate's First Steps!!

We were just chillin' in the office last night listening to music--Kate was standing on her own (she's been doing that a lot the past few days), when suddenly she took a step towards Andrew. I kind of blinked and shook my head and said, "I think she just took a step." Andrew looked down at Kate. She looked back at him. He laughed and said, "Well, that was anticlimactic!" Luckily, she kept doing it and we got tons of video, of course. There was one more video after this one and it ended with her veering off course and slamming her head into the computer! It was really sad, so I didn't post that one.She's way ahead of me--I looked in my baby book last night to discover that I didn't walk until I was 14 months old!

Welcome, Sabrina, to the blogging world. AHAHAHAHAHA!! (sinister laugh)

I'm so happy that Sabrina--long-time BFF :) and partner in crime (AKA really awkward and horribly embarrassing moments) has just created a blog. Check it out: http://www.couchcarrot.blogspot.com/. I am so excited. Keeping in touch with people through blogging has proved a lot more effective for me than emailing. Woohoo!

Tagged--this time about Andrew (well, it's more about us than it is him)

Andrew in NY (on his mission) the morning of 9/11. He hates that I love this picture of him. He's not smiling, in case you think he is. It's sort of a worried grimace.


On one of our camping trips in Canyonlands. Andrew's looking for the perfect shot with his large format camera. He doesn't like this picture, either--because of his shaved head. I think Andrew has one of the prettiest smiles I've ever seen. No braces, either! Can you believe that? I can only hope Kate is so lucky.

About My Husband…

What is his name? Andrew Christian Morrill

How long have you been married? 4 1/2 years

How long did you date? He got home from his mission December 7th. We were engaged January 13th! Married April 25th. Speedy.

How old is he? 26

Who eats more? Sadly, it's probably me by a little bit

Who said I love you first? He did. In a letter, if you want to know. We tried to keep our letters to each other spiritual and non-distracting (this was while we were on our missions), but I'd be lying if I said that letter didn't distract me.

Who is taller? He is--he's 6'0", I'm only 5'7"

Who sings better? I don't sing. He is way better.

Who is smarter? I'll have to give him this one. We both have areas of smartness. He probably knows more about more things, though. And he really excels at science and computers (which I don't!) Plus, he learns A LOT faster than I do and actually retains knowledge. Ok--he wins.

Whose temper is worse? That would be me. I sometimes have a short fuse. I'm working on it!

Who does the laundry? Me.

Who does the dishes? Usually me.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're looking straight on, I do.

Who pays the bills? Me.

Who mows the lawn? Usually me. I kind of enjoy it, actually. Sick, huh?

Who cooks dinner? We both do. We have opposite schedules right now, so we have to kind of fend for ourselves. I like it when we have time to cook together.

Who drives when you are together? Andrew

Who is more stubborn? Hmm...I'll let Andrew have that one. Though, it's probably equal--I'm getting too many of these!

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? I always say that I do. :)

Whose parents do you see the most? His

Who kissed who first? He kissed me. (I happened to be his first kiss.)

Who asked who out? I went to see him the day after he came home. Then he asked me out for that weekend. I was thinking, What? Friday? Today's Sunday...so I invited him over to watch a BYU devotional and then to a basketball game. Then we watched some movies on the other nights. Pretty much, we saw each other every night after he got home. Our first "date" wasn't until the 6th night.

Who proposed? He did.

Who is more sensitive? That's a tough one. We're both pretty sensitive. I'm more traditionally "romantic," though. He's very compassionate and empathetic towards others.

Who has more friends? I think I probably do. I had way more companions and college roommates. He had like 2 companions and no roommates. He still keeps in touch with some high school friends, as do I. And he's got work friends.

Who has more siblings? Me. Neither of us are from giant families. I have three older siblings. He has a brother and a half-sister.

Who wears the pants in the family? I never cared for dresses. :) No, I think we're pretty equally yoked.

I'd love to hear yours if you want to consider yourself tagged, too! :)

Time for Potty Training??

Oh my gosh--this is basically what all my nightmares have been like my entire life. Rows and rows of nasty toilets! Now, Kate's been thrown in the mix! Oh no!

Well, Kate went about 10 months without pooping in her tub. Until about a week ago. She's gone three times now--in just a matter of days! I'm worried she enjoys it and now associates bathing with pooping--which should NOT go together. Eww--for some reason it seems so much worse floating around--all around--then being stuck on her in a diaper. I don't know why. But the other night was just awful. I was trying to shake it out into the toilet and parts of it went flying everywhere. Ahh! I had even had a nightmare a few days before about Kate falling into a big person's toilet and getting...very soiled. Anyway, these tub times have been a fulfillment of those nightmares!

I'm wondering if I should get her a little potty and put it next to the tub, then if she starts to go (I usually can't tell--but sometimes I have an idea), I could whisk her out and put her on the pot. Hmmm...I realize she's only 10 months old--but I don't know what to do. I don't want to clean out a poopy tub every night--I know that much!

Livin' in Da Hood

Yes! Our agent called tonight and said someone else wanted to see our house in an hour! Thank goodness it was already cleaned from yesterday! We never would have gotten it ready in an hour. Phew! Andrew even got the lawn mowed and some weeds pulled last night.

We found out that the girl who came yesterday really liked the house--thought it was great for the price, etc. Sadly, her fiance is a police officer and told her not to get it because of the amount of crime in our hood. Poo. Sure, there are frequent police visits and sometimes they come with sniffer dogs. And...maybe there have been one or two stake-outs with "Come out with your hands up!" being yelled through a megaphone--but surely that's not a reason not to buy! :) Ok, so there's crime. It's mostly just druggies, I think. I've never felt threatened. It's been kind of entertaining, actually. OH well. It was a young couple that came tonight. I hope something happens soon! (and they don't know any police officers...)

So what if this is a familiar sight? At least they're catching the bad guys, right? :)

FINALLY--Our First Showing!

I got a call early this morning from our excited real estate agent saying that another agent called and had someone who wanted to see the house this afternoon. After hanging up, I immediately went into freak out mode. I had to leave for work--but our house was (surprise) a disaster area. So I left work early to help Andrew clean up. I knew he couldn't do it by himself with Kate. We cleaned like CRAZY for two hours. We somehow got it done in time. Didn't have time to mow and weed--but that was last on the list. Kate was freaking out and I did a lot of one armed cleaning again. I don't know why she's happy to play by herself most of the time--until we NEED her to play by herself--then she freaks. Oh well.

So, who knows if the lady that came will buy it--we're just happy to finally have someone come see it! A small victory--but we'll take it.

Kiss Me Kate

As promised...I didn't think I'd get a video of her giving "kisses" so soon!

Play time!

Kate has SO much energy. It takes a lot of effort on my part to stay with her. She is so fun to play with, though. In the video, she had fun "sneaking" up behind me and "surprising" me. Hope you enjoy the nice close-ups of our carpet.

Lately, if we say "Give Mommy (or Daddy) a kiss!" and stick out our cheek--she will sort of shove her nose into our cheek. She must think that's what we're doing to her. Anyway, it's so cute! I will try to get a video of that. I really love this age! (hers--not mine).

Roommate Reunion!

I'm not sure what they're doing in this last picture. Scrambling for food??

So fun! My roommates from college and I were able to get together for lunch last Friday. All but one was there. :( We wish you were there, Shannon (and Zack and Oliver). I guess we did have two other roommates...but...they were unavailable... Megan lives in Idaho, and Larson lives here in Provo with her new hubby. Shannon and Zack are way out in Massachussetts. We had the craziest bathroom at our Stadium Terrace apartment. It was more like a locker room--it was gigantic! It had two showers, multiple sinks and mirrors, and two toilets (in stall form!). No door separating the hallway from the locker room. It was the coolest bathroom I've ever seen. Any time a new person would come over--that was the first thing we'd show them. That's where most of our late night talks took place. I can't believe it, but I don't think I have pictures of that bathroom! ME--with all my obsessions about toilets. So if any of you guys have one--I need to get it.

It was fun seeing Kate play with Megan and John's 18 month old boy. We kept trying to force Kate and Daniel to hug for the camera--but I just missed it. He was giving out hugs, so Andrew tried to steal one, too. I think he was anxious to get back to his Mama, though, after all the forced hugging.

Rough N Tumble Kate

I took a couple of videos of Kate tackling the pillows (one of her favorite activities), but I like her face in this one when she's done. She sucks in her cheeks, looks to the side, and then starts kicking her foot, like "Ok....now what?"

Her love of tackling soft-looking things has gotten her hurt on more than one occasion--when she either throws herself at the object and misses, or she thinks something is soft--when it really isn't. She usually pats it first to make sure, though.

It's been a while...

Rounding the bases!

I didn't really realize how long it's been since I've posted. Working full-time is really keeping me busy and tired. Here's a few pictures I've managed to take over the past week. We've put up all the trim in our kitchen and are half-way done with it in our bedroom. It's getting there! In the meantime, our house remains a wreck--with Kate toppling over trim and paint cans. At least she hasn't gotten any more in her hair!