We celebrated Easter in Duncan and had a wonderful time. The only bad part was that Josh and Granddad got sick on Easter and had to spend most of the day in their rooms. Granddad and I went shopping one afternoon and ended up getting the girls matching watermelon dresses. James got a coordinating shirt. Kinley and Mallory are kissing and Kate is watching waiting for her turn. Kinley has been doing really well with Mallory and she is starting to enjoy her more.

Best Buds - James and Tristan

All six kids waiting at the start line for the easter egg hunt to begin. We had to hunt inside because it rained all weekend but the kids didn't seem to care, they still raked in a ton of candy and money.

We got so many cute pictures of Mallory. Pardon me for overloading you with them. I just can't resist pictures of cute babies!

Nana organized a group egg dying event. It ended up being an ugly egg contest, which is a Morris family tradition, I think James won and grandma Jeanne helped!

We enrolled James at Hoover Elementary in April. Hoover is our Tulsa Public neighborhood school. We researched the surrounding schools and felt like this was what God was saying to do. In May the board had to start making changes because of budget cuts and decided to close 12 schools which will effect every district somehow. We heard that our neighborhood was being moved to a different school that is not doing well. Then a week later we heard that we will not be moved. Nothing is final at the moment but we are waiting on a letter to tell us for sure. If he is sent to the other school we may consider homeschooling until we can move to Broken Arrow. We are willing to do whatever God wants us to so we will wait and see!

It rained so much at Easter and the kids found a puddle in the driveway and decided to enjoy it. We brought Mallory out and let her play too. It was freezing and she loved it.

Mallory had her 9 month appointment at the end of April. She weighed 22 pounds which promotes her out of the infant carrier into the convertible car seat. That means I have to throw out the infant carrier and I can't bring myself to do it. I can't believe it is the end of an era. Baby days are over...well they don't feel like they are because Mallory doesn't even roll over...but I know we'll be at the toddler stage before we know it. She has figured out how to eat finger foods and is loving it. She likes eggs, puffs, cheerios, goldfish, strawberries, bananas, chicken, and carrots. I hope this means she is going to like variety, not just carbs.

Kate loves Mallory. They liked playing with the same toys over the weekend and Kate did a really good job sharing. They will get to see each other a lot over the summer. Jason and Emily are going to keep Mallory in June and hopefully we are going to keep Kate in July!

Oh this girl is one of a kind! She got to have a "girl weekend" with my mom and they got their nails done, hair cut, went shopping, had a tea party and she was totally enthralled with all of it. Then a couple of days later James was trying to buckle her in her car seat and she said "OUCH that's my penis, don't quash my penis!!!" (yes, she knows she does not have a penis I just haven't been brave enough to use the "v"word) She can be such a girl and such a rude, crude, violent boyish creature. I am so curious and scared about what she is going to be like as a teenager. I asked her where she wanted to have her birthday party and she said "bouncy barn" I said "who do you want to take with you" and she said "my animals". "Oh you don't want to take any friends?" "No, I don't like any". I'm glad I won't have to tell her none of them would come anyway because she's so mean. It is funny because she only likes to play with much older kids. If the are 3 or under she doesn't hit or kick or scream but she gives dirty looks and stays far away.

The kids made these stepping stones for Nana and Gigi for Mother's Day. I think they are really cute. (Nana sorry you have to wait until 4th of July!) The kids got me new measuring cups and spoons and new wine glasses.

We found out that in April Josh's office was profitable which means that after rent and expenses he made money for Edward Jones. That is a big deal! I am so proud of him. He has hit two huge milestones in building his business in the last 6 months. I am excited to see what God has in store for us. He is so faithful. What a journey it is to learn to trust God with our work and finances and to learn to be obedient, generous and disciplined. We have so far to go but we have also come a long way and it is exciting.

James is doing really well riding his bike and we have been taking family rides with our fleet. It is so fun! However, the trailer is on my bike and pulling 60+ pounds up a hill is REALLY hard. I'm wondering how soon we could get Kinley on a bike of her own?

James lost his first tooth right before mother's day. One of his adult teeth on the bottom started breaking through the skin before any of the baby teeth fell out. The dentist said we needed to wiggle that tooth and get it out within the week or they would have to pull it. So he wiggled and wiggled it and finally it came out when he woke up two days later. The kids were so excited about the tooth fairy in spite of the fact that about six months ago James asked me "is the tooth fairy real" and I without hesitation said "no, the parents do it". He totally played along and Kinley got into it too and was so upset that the tooth fairy wasn't going to leave her anything. We talked about wanting to save his tooth and put it in his scrapbook so he left the fairy a note that asked if she could leave the tooth and give him money. So when we went in we did what he asked and sprinkled glitter all over both of their pillows. Now Kinley can't wait to loose a tooth and James is over the fear of the unknown.

Last week was a bad week for me. I lost my keys, lost a check, ran into someone's car at a stop light, and my shopping cart rolled across the parking lot and dented someones car. I asked Josh if he could just put me down because I clearly can't do life. It was so humbling and frustrating. I did feel God saying to me that I am way to hurried in my spirit and way to addicted to accomplishing things no matter how small or trivial as fast as I can. I had gotten to where driving was boring to me and not worthy of my full attention. I was putting a card in an envelope when I ran into her. So, while the accident was bad, it definitely woke me up and convicted me. The kids weren't with me by the way. I have decided I am going to put my bag in the back with the kids and I have asked James to keep me accountable to doing nothing but drive when we're in the car. I found my keys at Target, the check at Reasor's and the persons car I dented at the store hasn't called us yet so maybe we're off the hook?? Oh yeah and our 4 month old dishwasher quit working too so I've gotten to revisit hand washing which is oh so fun and time consuming.

This was the day she had her doctor appointment and got a finger prick. When we got home I realized she had been sucking blood out of her bandaid the whole time. Gross!

We made rice crispy treats one day and James spilled half the box on the ground so they acted like dogs and cleaned it up! Mallory LOVED it!

James has had his first crush. We went to the Y at a random time and he met her in the Kidzone. He said he liked her face and hair and the way she talked and that she was definitely older. He had a dream that night that they kissed at their wedding! He was emotional about all of it and said he got a funny feeling in his tummy when he thought about her which we later diagnosed as butterflies. We did have a lot of great conversations about feelings, talking about feelings, love, kissing, etc. I feel the sex talk coming on soon!

This is when Kinley was sick with a virus. She had a 104 temp for about three days. She was so pathetic and would fall asleep in the craziest positions and sleep like the dead. Is it bad that I really like it when they are harmlessly sick. They are so sweet and calm.

There's the missing tooth!

James had a PreK graduation ceremony. His whole class wore star glasses and they looked so cute. The teacher talked about each one as they went across the stage. She told us how adaptable and fun James is and how he stood at the van door and helped each girl get out when they were on a field trip one day. Before the graduation they had a little music program where the kids sang songs and did motions. Well all the kids except mine. James just stood there looking painfully shy and did a couple of barely detectable motions. Kinley smiled and wiggled the whole time but never did appropriate motions. She started slapping herself in the head and dragging her hand down her face slowly. It looked really beautiful. I guess performing won't be their strong suit.

Last week, yes my bad one, we went camping with our friends the Henslee's. We went to Natural Falls state park just outside of Siloam Springs, AR. It was beautiful and had a very clean well maintained camp ground. There is a waterfall that is about 70 feet tall with a couple of small ones beside it. I hope to have pictures to post in a couple of weeks. We forgot our camera so Derrick took all the pictures and promised to send them to us. The falls were beautiful but the pool below was full of snakes. Both times we went down to look at it we saw several. It did rain at some point each day we were there but it was nice because it never got too hot. We love our camping tradition and no matter how hard it is to make happen it is so fun and we are making great memories. This was on the way home. I don't know if you can see it but James has drool on the right side of his mouth.

Wow, that was a lot of info and I'm sure I missed a few funny stories. I will try to post more often so it won't get so backed up but time to sit down and think sure is hard to find and dedicate to this! We are going to Hilton Head in two and a half weeks! That will make for a fun post!

James is riding without training wheels!

He has been working so hard and practicing almost everyday. The only thing we have left to work on is teaching him to get started on his own. We still have to help him keep balanced while taking off. It is so exciting to see him grow so much in so many areas but it is challenging to keep up with him!

After a night of intense practice riding we rewarded him by going to Braum's. He is getting double dip kid cones now...he is really proud of himself.

At Braum's we let Mallory try some ice cream and needless to say she loved it and was opening her mouth to ask for more.

When I took the ice cream away to take a bite myself she threw a fit. She is so pathetic. She has been perfecting her fit throwing the past few weeks. She had her first ear infection and it was a double so maybe once her ears are healed she'll be a little kinder??

See her two little teeth!

We did yard work a couple of weeks ago and let the kids play in the back while we worked in the front and Kinley came running to the front yard like this. She is so funny. One day she told my mom "our dad has a sugar problem...he eats all the jelly beans" (it's actually me who has the sugar problem but I'll let her think it's Josh) Then a couple of days ago she said "uh...I have a poop problem...I poop in my pull up"

We enrolled James for kindergarten at Hoover Elementary last week. I am in denial but I have a peace about our decisions and I think he is going to do great. I just wish I could slow the clock down a little bit. We are in for a lot of change next year. I'm afraid Kinley isn't going to know what to do with herself except terrorize her sister and talk my ear off.

I forgot to tell a great story about James in the last post. Josh and I have decided to start taking him to big church with us. His first time was a few weeks ago. Our pastor taught about being an overcomer and used Romans 8:31-37 (good stuff by the way). James sat still and listened the whole time, he even laughed when the pastor was funny. When we were on our way home we asked him what he thought of big church and if we wanted to keep going. He said "yeah, I want to keep going. How can I be a conquerer when a friend punches me?" He proceeded to tell us about a specific incident that happened with a friend and asked how God can help him. We were so amazed. No only did he behave well but he heard what was said and applied it to his life! We are really excited to experience church together.

We are going to the British Virgin Islands!

Josh earned a trip through Edward Jones so they gave us a book of amazing trips to choose from and we picked Peter Island. It is a private island and all that is on it is a 5 star resort. We get to go in July, without kids, all expenses paid because Josh works really hard for the greatest company. God is so kind and generous to bless us in this way. We are sinful, degenerate humans yet in His great love He saves us and grows us and lavishes His grace on us. This is such a huge success in our life and God gets all the glory. The last almost 7 years have been an intense battle but God has been faithful and Josh has become a strong warrior. We can't wait to see what the next 7 years hold!

Mallory has two teeth! She got the bottom center teeth last week. Finally we have something to show for that insane amount of drool! It really wasn't too bad. She was a little fussy the two days it took for them to break through but that is it. Now she has the cutest little toothy smile. I don't have a cute pic of that yet but I will get one up next time.

We have given her a couple of sink baths since she's been sitting up and she really likes it.

Last week we went to visit my college friend Kari. She lives in Bentonville, AR. Just the three kids and I went. We had a great time playing with Kari's daughter Sarah (10 months), visiting with Kari, and learning all about hunting and guns from her husband Daniel. The kids made me really proud for how flexible and considerate they were at someone else's house. Although, my proudest moment had to be when James pooped in the back yard and came up to the door with his pants around his ankles telling me there what a big blob of poop stuck to his bottom.

As we all know James has a great imagination. I find him playing the funniest things sometimes. Today he was pretending our dead mum was a trap for his Star Wars guys. There were bodies everywhere.

The other night I was tucking him in and he asked if I would pray for his hand (he had just burned it on the stove) so I did. Two nights later he said "can we do this new thing where every night you pray with us when you put us to bed?" Awww, so sweet! I was thinking aren't I supposed to be the one to suggest that? We say prayers together during the day but wise parents once told me to capitalize on bedtime because that is when kids start talking freely. I have always resisted that because I am such a sleep freak but now that James is getting older I might have to make room for some pillow talk.

This is what playtime often looks like at our house. James and Kinley pretend play and Mallory watches while playing with something that would usually be deemed as unsafe for babies (like the walmart sack she is playing with below)

Yea for tax refunds! With part of ours we decided to get bikes. We have wanted them for a couple of years and with James getting better and better at riding his own we decided it was time. We have really enjoyed it so far. If anyone has tips on teaching kids to ride without training wheels please share! James still has them but they are tipped up so that he isn't on both of them constantly.

This is the Morris Biking Fleet

The girls love their trailer! Mallory had to adjust to feeling a little cramped but she got over it. Kinley always says "go supa supa fast mommy".

The last rainy day we had I let the kids go out to play and Kinley insisted that she not wear pants...it was a battle I chose not to fight. She looked hilarious. With three kids my appearance standards have gone way down. I took the kids to the park a couple of weeks ago in their pajamas. It gets worse. We went at about 5pm and they wore the pajamas they had worn (and still had on) the night before.

One night at bedtime Kinley asked me to sing her a song and I asked what song because she is usually very opinionated about this and she said "sing me a Jesus song". The thing she has been saying more often that isn't so cute is "you are such a meanie!" She says it to everyone.

The past two weeks have been fun and have felt very normal. We have been busy but not too busy and no one has been sick. Josh worked the Sports and Entertainment Expo one weekend so the kids and I went to the zoo. Mallory is such a great baby. This is her cat napping in the stroller.

One day last week I changed her diaper and went to get more wipes. When I came back she had fallen asleep and it was still and hour and a half until nap time!

One of the last snow days we had, Josh had taken my car to work and we were caught up on chores so we played and made messes all day. One of the kids favorite things to do is platy with goop. It is a mixture of cornstarch, water, and food coloring. I let them go crazy with it and this is what I ended up with.

Thankfully it cleans up really easily!

Kinley's has two new sayings "trust me on this" and "you are such a meanie".

We also counted every hat in the house. We have 33 hats! Then we tried them all on. James is so handsome!

He managed to wear 12 hats at once!

One afternoon we had to go to the doctor so Mallory didn't get a nap. I rocked her and we took a little cat nap together. I never get to hold her sleeping because the other two keep me so busy. It is a rare and fleeting treat!

We went to an infectious disease specialist for Kinley's fever. My doctor was afraid she had Rheumatic Fever because her hand had swollen up twice for no apparent reason, she'd had a long term low grade fever, and we had found a heart murmur. The specialist looked her over really well and listened to our story. He felt that she was just dealing with little everyday viruses back to back and the three issues were just a coincidence and not a sign of a bigger infection. He told me to quit taking her temperature and move on. That is what I needed to hear. I was getting a little crazy over it all.

Mallory has been experimenting with biter biscuts, puffs, and sippy cups. She seems to like them all and is getting better at the motor control it takes to enjoy them.

Granddad, Nana, and Aunt Jennifer came to visit this weekend. We took them to the zoo. Every time I am there with the kids they beg to ride the carousel or train and I always say "not today, maybe when we have a grand parent with us you'll get to". So we walk by the carousel and James says "hey mom, granddad is here, so he can pay for us to ride the carousel!" He definitely has the system figured out! We are so spoiled by our parents. It is a huge blessing to get to do fun things and have luxuries to enjoy with our kids.

James has been asking a lot of questions about salvation. He has even begged to have Jesus in his heart on three different occasions. I always tell him that Jesus will knock on his heart and we will all know when it's the right time. I'm not so sure that is the right thing to do anymore. We have a lot of conversations about sin and what Jesus did for us so I think it is all starting to come together in his mind and heart. I used to think it was one specific moment that a person is saved but I'm not so sure that is true. I think it might be a season of learning and believing then there comes a moment when you claim it out loud and another moment where hopefully you are baptized and share your salvation with the world. Then I think there are many seasons and moments where you have the choice to choose God's path or your own (nothing to do with salvation) I think James' moment of speaking his belief and choosing God's path for this part of his journey is coming soon. Say a prayer for him and us during this very important season.

We have the best backyard for little boys. They were bringing dirt back from the Chili Bowl and an array of dirt moving machinery made the tallest dirt hill we've ever had. This particular day we were babysitting Ezra and Levi. All 4 of them stayed out there in the cold north wind for and hour watching with jaws on the ground.

Kinley has continued to have a low grade fever so we went back to the doctor. They ordered a lot of blood work, a urine culture and, due to a heart murmur, an ultrasound of her heart. We did the blood work last week. They had to draw 4 viles of blood from her arm just like they do an adult. I was scared to death of how badly she would thrash and scream. My dear friend Alicia met me at the lab and helped me hold Kinley down so the tech could get the blood. Much to our surprise, she did not wiggle a bit! Right when the needle went in she closed her eyes and cried a really pathetic cry then after a second she started watching the blood fill the viles and she was calm. I was so proud of how brave she was. The hardest thing we had to do was get her to pee on command. She had four suckers in one hour because I was bribing and rewarding her for everything. We should know results next week. Due to the cost of a pediatric cardiologist we have decided to go back to our pediatrician for a recheck on her heart. If they are still concerned about the murmur then we will probably go for the echo next week.

Mallory is officially sitting up. She still topples occasionally but is doing really well balancing and grabbing toys. She needs to start sitting and rolling more because she is starting to get bored and telling me about it!

Last weekend Josh and I got to get away to a cabin at Big Cedar, thanks to Nana and Grandad! We were scheduled to stay Saturday through Tuesday. Once we heard there was going to be a winter storm we decided that we would stay because the weathermen often hype things up and we just didn't want to cut our vacation short. My parents had the kids and they said to go ahead and stay and see what happens. Well, it was snowpocalypse 2011, so we got to double our vacation! We ended up having to stay 6 nights! We loved every minute. We stayed in a cabin for three nights, a suite on the top floor of a lodge for two nights, then an end room on the top floor that had beautiful corner windows for the last night. We didn't mind all the moving, it kept us from going stir crazy and we got a clean room every couple of days! We played games, watched movies, read books, played Wii, and reveled in having cable TV. We did nothing of worth and it was bliss! The 9 hours of white knuckle driving to get home took a toll on the relaxation but we are home and unpacked and still refreshed from our break.

Bop and Gigi kept the kids for our long vacation. They loved being snowed in together. Above they are zoning out to a movie - I love the TV zone face! They did all kinds of fun things...the kids are going to think real life is so boring.

The pictures don't do it justice but these are pictures of the views at Big Cedar in the snow.