Friday, January 24, 2014

The Best Strawberries


A few weeks ago I was cutting up strawberries for dinner for my family.  I set out five bowls and wash, cut, and sliced strawberries for everyone.  Inevitably when you buy a carton of strawberries there are some really delicious ones (red, juicy, perfect size, etc) and there are some less desirable ones (white and hard or dark red and squishy) that have been packed in the middle so you couldn't see them when you were selecting your carton at the store.  Ever since I can remember I make sure to give the best strawberries to the boys and especially to Parker, leaving the not so great ones for me.  I have always done this without really thinking about it.  Well this time I decided that I was going to give myself  the best strawberries.  I had a whole bowl of perfect strawberries and they were delicious.  Since then, I've felt horribly guilty. 

It has consumed my thoughts for an absurdly long time because, really Jenn, this is not that big of a deal!  Parker and the boys didn't even notice that their strawberries weren't the best!  I felt guilty for a long time. I felt selfish.  I felt like a bad wife. 

Then I convinced myself that it was OK that I get the best strawberries!  I went to the grocery store to buy them.  I washed, cut, and sliced them.  I made dinner.  I take care of the kids pretty much by myself Monday through Friday week after week.  I deserve them. 

But if I deserve them then what does that say about my husband?  Does he not  deserve them?  The best marriage advice I ever received was from my dad about a month before we got married.  He told me the secret to a happy marriage, here you go...you ready??  Love Parker like he wants to be loved, not the way that you want to love him.  Always put Parker and his needs first.  If he does the same, you will spend your whole life making each other happy.  It sounds so simple but it is profound.  Everyone shows love and wants to receive love in different ways.  As you can read in the book The Five Love Languages, some people need words of affirmation, some need gifts, some need quality time, some need service, and some need physical touch.  It is easy to love someone the way you are comfortable.  It is much more of a challenge to love someone the way they want to be loved, especially if it is out of your comfort zone.  I look back on my ten years of marriage and I can think of times where I was really loving him as he wants.  Lately, I don't feel like I've been doing a very good job and I feel like the strawberries were symbolic of that.  I have not been giving him the best of me, I've become complacent, I've become selfish.   

The past week and a half here has been very cold outside.  Parker has also gotten extremely busy at work so he's been going in earlier, coming home later, and staying up late to work at home.  Due to cold and snow, school keeps getting cancelled so the boys and I have been sleeping in.  Without saying a word, without uttering a complaint, Parker has been getting up early and walking through the snow, in his work clothes, in the freezing cold, to the train because he didn't want to wake me and have me drive him.  The other day I happened to wake up as he was leaving, I looked out the window and saw my exhausted, sexy, hard working, freezing cold, unbelievably amazing man walking through the snow and ice to the train, for his hour commute, so he can begin his long work day so he can provide for his family.  I nearly broke down in tears.  Here he is, doing all this, and I can't even give him the best strawberries.  My husband deserves the best strawberries.  He deserves the best of everything.  He deserves all the love I can give.  He deserves nothing less.  It is not hard to love Parker, he makes it so easy.  He expects so little of me but gives so much in return.  I feel a sense of recommitment to making my marriage better, to showing my husband that he deserves the best and I will give him the best. 

I love you babe, forever and always...through the ups and the downs...and I will always, always, always, give you the best strawberries...until the day I die.  :)











Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Disney Cruise Part 5

More pics from pirate night...


Jackie and I enjoying some sun while the kids were in the kids room...
They watched Frozen 3D...
 A couple pics from Mexico...

Superhero cousins!!!
This was Uncle Tyler explaining to the boys about the merchants in Mexico and how to steer clear of them.  This was after they had all gotten bracelets with their names on them without the adults even knowing.  All the adults were talking to someone about getting a tour lined up and in the meantime this scammer jerk Mexican guy made each kid a bracelet, tied it around their wrists, then wanted us to pay TWELVE DOLLARS FOR EACH BRACELET!  Hahaha.  Jackie offered $2/bracelet.  After much back and forth we finally settled on $22 for 5 bracelets, but I was annoyed at the guy. 
I think this was at the beginning of the trip, riding from the hotel to the ship...
Auntie Tegan and her adorable nephews...
When they first got on the ship...
 This was in the Grand Caymans..

The morning we left was a sad and exhausting day.  We had to be at breakfast by 7am and off the boat by 8:30am.  The kids were all so tired but were actually really good sports about it all.  We got off the boat, took a taxi to the airport, flew home (under two hour flight...shortest flight my kids have ever done!), and were unpacked before everyone else had even left the airport!  Poor Morrills and Petersens had much longer travel days...this was the first time ever that it's paid off to live on the EAST coast!!!!
 
Tyce was too cute on the plane, he curled up with his clubhouse friends and crashed...
Since I wouldn't let him bring ALL his clubhouse friends on the cruise when he came home he was SO excited for them all to be together.  He woke up asking to watch Mickey Mouse with all his clubhouse friends, needless to say, I could NOT say no...

AND I'M ALL CAUGHT UP!!!!  It was a fabulous trip, one we will never forget.  Thanks so much Bart and Michelle for making it happen!!!!  We love you!!!!

Monday, January 20, 2014

Disney Cruise Part 4

Tyce looked forward every night to getting the schedule for the next day so we could plan what character we were going to see and when.  Goofy was one of the last ones he saw...

Our last dinner!  I think we were all pretty sad to leave Freddie and Helen...they were AWESOME servers and I loved the personalized service.  Michelle, Jackie, and I would all have loved to take them home with us to cook, serve, cut up the kids food, etc!  Unfortunately, they had to stay on the ship!  Helen told me how impressed she was with our children (in an African accent) "usually I see lots of kids at a table and think, oh my messes messes, but your kids...they were so good!  So clean!  No spills, not a lot of crumbs, no crying, such good manners!"  I'm not sure I'd say my kids are THAT perfect but, hey, she seemed to think so!!!  Maybe she was talking about Jackie's kids  :)
We made another stop at the souvenir shop...Tyce really wanted this hat...I said no...now that I'm looking at how stinkin adorable he is in it I'm regretting it...oh well...
After the final show all the characters came out, I muscled my way in to the front of the line so Kate and Tyce could see her before bed time :)
 Pirate night!

Uncle Shane and Tyce, so cute...Shane was a great sport about sharing a room with the twins and dealing with 6 little kids all week.  We'll keep that in mind Shane when you have YOUR babies and OURS are older and easier.  :)
 Grandma and Josh...
The pirate show and fireworks!


 This was the boys' favorite towel animal...I'm not going to lie...I think it looks super creepy!
All week Jackie and I had promised the kids they'd get one "special night" where they could all stay up late together and watch cartoons...the final night they finally got to do it...

They all played so hard all day, went to bed late, and my kids don't really sleep in so when they WERE asleep they were DEAD asleep!!!  This was too cute to not take a picture of.  He belongs in a Disney brochure or something!

One last post to go, Michelle sent me some of her pics that I want to add!

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Disney Cruise Part 3

We got up early the morning we got to the Grand Cayman because we had an excursion planned to go swim with sting rays!  Here we are on the boat that took us to the island...
 
Family picture!  The person we happened to ask to take the pic was from Utah!  Small world!  They saw Shane's Ute shirt and were happy we were Ute fans!  I made sure to tell them that while all the Morrills might be Ute fans...I MOST CERTAINLY AM NOT!!!
 Waiting to head out on the catamaran...
 The catamaran...
Of all the kids on board the captain asked Jackson if he wanted to drive! 
 Getting ready to snorkel...
Josh and daddy snorkeling...
Jackson snorkeling...

Me snorkeling...
Swimming with the sting rays was awesome!  They felt so cool!
Jackson kissing the sting ray...
Getting a sting ray massage...
Mommy kissing it (Josh wouldn't!)... 
But he WOULD get a back massage!!!
It felt so cool having a sting ray massage my back!
Parker kissing a sting ray...

Getting his massage...
Parker and I with our sting ray who Jackson named Peter...
It was a super fun day out on the beautiful ocean and it was a cool experience to swim with sting rays!  Tyce was a total wuss and was bawling in the water.  He was begging to go back to the boat but I wouldn't let him.  He eventually calmed down enough where he wasn't crying but he still wouldn't touch the sting rays.  Maybe next time!

More to come!!!