The Morgan's are Hitched

 My little sister,

tied the knot,

sealed the deal,

took the plunge...

You get the idea.

 

 Look how cute my kids were.

 Ok, I know it was all about them,

 But I just can't resist plastering their pictures up.

 And then, there was a par-TAY!

I didn't even take my camera (sad),

or I'm sure there would be more pictures

of my kids...

The Morgans.

Watch out world.

All the Reasons to Ski

 This was the 2014 ski crew.

Some of us fared better than others (right Dad?).

 This was Anna's first year skiing on her own.

She LOVES skiing.

She still keeps asking me when we are going to ski again.

She is a speed demon.

She only had one major fall (where she cracked her goggles in 3 spots),

but got right back up and on the horse.

Daniel can out-ski me now.

He smoked me down the mountain.

My excuse this year is I am 6 months pregnant.

But what am I going to say next year? 

And the year after that?

And the year after that?

He only had one major accident.

He ran into me.

From behind.

And wrapped his arms around my waist.

With his skis on top of the back of mine,

We skied about 50 ft before we both tumbled.

James is our most cautious skier.

He actually doesn't love skiing,

but he LOVES to ride the lift.

So he skis to ride the lift.

But he is probably our most graceful skier.

And Christian, he is an amazing skier.

At the top of the mountain on our last run,

he slapped me on the behind, and said

"See you at the bottom!"

But my last time down the mountain was perfect. 

I was the only one on it for a while.

That has never happened to me before.

I felt so insignificant.

A Visit to the West

 We just got back from a fun family visit in Utah.

James was our pilot.

There is much fun to be had (and little sleep),

when you are with the cousins.

There is some bond between family.

The kids hardly ever see each other, but they are instant best buds.

 I love this crew too.

Not everyone has a grandma and grandpa who will play Fruit Basket Tipped Over in the hot tubs with them.

 This is my prince and the pea.

We love the wild, wild west.

Girlfriends

Yesterday I overheard James tell Daniel

"It's a good thing we have so many girlfriends,

so we can have a lot of targets."

I think Daniel needs a couple more guns on him.

I'm pretty sure he has some concealed.

Clam Digging

 The weather,

adventure,

treasure hunt,

 and company

was perfect.

Preparing and eating the little steamers aftewards,

not-so-much.

Feasting

For Thanksgiving,

we took the furniture out of our living room,

and set up a dining hall fit for a king.

And then we, and 26 friends and family feasted...

...on food and friendship.

(check out that alliteration).

Catching Up

When I decided to blog again, I thought I would just start fresh from January 2015.

But I would hate to ever forget some of the experiences we have had since I stopped blogging.

So, this post is for my 87 year-old-self,

Life has been delightful and joyous,

and I will try and catch you up in the few pictures I have.

 Two peas in a pod, enjoying a stern-side conversation in the fall sunset.

 Swiss Family Robinson

(really it is our ward campout, but it feels like one big happy family)

The next obstacle the big boys built was a zipline into the water....

....that sort of didn't work :)

But playing king-of-the-dock on the lake was fun enough.

 I LOVE visitors,

and these were our favorite.

More on their visit later...

....sooner than later, I promise.

 On a crisp November morning,

my kids put on almost every article of clothing in their closet

while awaiting the F-15's flyover.

I just put on a coat.

It seemed easier.

 Christian took Daniel deer hunting.

Neither had been before.

Daniel was so excited, he came into our room at 3am wondering if it was time to go.

He didn't wake up that early on Christmas morning.

Priorities I guess.

The weather was cold and rainy.

They didn't see any deer.

So really, they went for a cold, rainy, hike in the woods wearing orange.

But that is what memories are made of.

 And here is the clan, at symphony hall.

Good Music + Good Company = One Happy Mama

Can I please just bottle up all their giggles and squills of delight?

Sometimes it is the small moments that help you remember what is really important in life.