SIXTEEN RAHS

More FunFest Pix...

2010-08-06T22:49:00.004-04:00

Kids Central and Farm Fest Pictures...

Fun Fest 2010

2010-08-06T21:39:00.017-04:00

Here are some pictures from FunFest 2010...Putt-putt, FunFest Parade, Crazy Eights/Little Eights Race, etc...Fun times!!!

4th of July weekend

2010-07-28T22:28:00.005-04:00

We had a big 4th of July weekend...
We watched Daddy run in the Red, White, and Boom 4 mile race...and then hung out downtown with Nannie and Papa Lee for music and fireworks...even JP liked watching the fireworks (with Mommy's hands on his ears!)

Here are the girls waiting on Daddy to finish his race...they cheered and cheered!!!!

Then, we had a cook-out with friends (some left before the camera came out!!)

We didn't take any pictures, but we celebrated Indy's 8th birthday with blue and red cupcakes!!! We finished the holiday weekend at the Kingsport Fourth of July parade with Nannie and Papa Lee and the Metcalfs (who graciously shared their "shade" with us!)

3 months old...

2010-07-17T13:28:00.006-04:00

JP 2 month pix

2010-06-25T13:26:00.005-04:00

Amazing Grace One Mile Run

2010-05-28T20:59:00.006-04:00

Keely ran in her first one mile race on Sunday, May 23rd with her Daddy! She did great! Laney, JP, and Mommy cheered from the sidelines!!!

Keely lost her first tooth!

2010-05-27T22:58:00.002-04:00

Keely lost her first tooth on Saturday, May 15th! The tooth fairy came and brought "a whole dollar"!!!

More pictures of the little man....

2010-05-27T22:32:00.004-04:00

PreSchool End of the Year Program and Keely's PreSchool Graduation

2010-05-27T22:15:00.002-04:00

One Month Pictures...

2010-05-15T09:57:00.004-04:00

Wonderful Big Sisters!!!

2010-04-30T15:25:00.007-04:00

Jon Parker is here!!

2010-04-08T20:17:00.011-04:00

Jon Parker is here!
Born on Wednesday morning, March 31st, 2010
10:19am
8 pounds and 7 ounces
19 1/2 inches

Here he is meeting his sisters for the first time....

Finally home with his sisters....

Chilling out...

Jon Parker is such a cutie pie and we feel so blessed to have him in our family!

Tomorrow....

2010-03-29T20:16:00.002-04:00

So, tomorrow we will become a family of 5!! We have to go the hospital tomorrow evening (March 30, 2010) so I can be induced. So, Jonathan Parker should be joining us sometime tomorrow night or Wednesday! We are excited to meet him! Keely and Laney can't wait! We will keep you all posted!

PreSchool Christmas Program

2010-02-10T21:39:00.009-05:00

Sam, Graham, Keely, and Grace---the Fantastic Foursome----after the program

Keely and Graham

Keely and Daddy

Laney and Anna

JayJay, Laney, Daddy, and Nannie

The girls did a great job singing their Christmas songs. We were so proud!

Breakfast with the Grinch!

2009-12-17T21:17:00.006-05:00

We took Thing One (Keely) and Thing Two (Laney) to a local restaurant to eat "Breakfast with the Grinch" with some friends. Santa Claus and the Cat in the Hat were there too! We had green eggs and ham and pancakes! It was quite fun!

Snow Day!!!

2009-12-17T21:06:00.004-05:00

This was our first snow fall this year...it was really wet snow and really cold outside, but the girls LOVED it!!!

Welcome Christmas!!!

2009-12-04T19:11:00.004-05:00

So, here we are at the Kingsport Christmas Parade with Nannie and Papa Lee, the Metcalf family, and the Collier family!!! It was a great way to bring in the holiday season...

October 2009

2009-11-28T19:49:00.007-05:00

We are a little behind in our blog updates, so I am including several activities in this post for the month of October...
Laney turned 3 on October 27th!!!

Then she had her My Little Pony Birthday party...

Then, we had Halloween with WonderWoman (Keely) and Snow White (Laney)!

Picture session

2009-11-28T19:42:00.007-05:00

Here are a few pix from our picture session in September...

Almost "On The Road Again"....

2009-11-09T09:35:00.003-05:00

Figured I'd update a picture of the girls in the Studebaker...getting close to a road test...

Boat Captains

2009-10-19T15:46:00.004-04:00

Here are a few pix of the girls from our visit to Mooresville last weekend.
The girls got to take turns driving Pop-Pop and GramB's boat on Lake Norman.
They LOVED it!

Keely didn't quite understand why she had to wear a life jacket. Pop-Pop tried to explain to her that she can't swim and the life jacket would help her float on top of the water if she fell in. She patiently responded, "But my daddy can swim!" So cute how Daddy is clearly her hero!

Roan

2009-10-14T15:55:00.006-04:00

[Since we are on a quarterly posting schedule, I figured I'd go ahead and update the blog before we move to a semi-annual posting schedule.]

On the way back from Mooresville this past weekend, we made a pit stop at one my favorite spots. I had been wanting to get all the ladies up there, but was little hesitant on Laney's hiking ability as well as my ability as her personal pack mule. It was worth it....here's a few pix.

First Day of Preschool

2009-08-28T21:32:00.006-04:00

Here are the girls on the first day of school. Keely is starting 4 year old preschool and Laney is starting 2 year old preschool. They still go M/W/F from 9-12! They were SO excited to get started this year! :)

Father Google

2009-08-20T20:33:00.003-04:00

Bedtime always brings out the 'thinker' in Keely. Most questions are directed to the all knowing Mommy, but tonight was special....it went a little something like this:

Keely: "Daddy, can I ask you any question I want?"
Me: "Sure Honey." (thinking it would be the usual 'can I have ice cream for breakfast?' type of question)

Keely: "Daddy, can I really ask you anything I want?"
Me: "AbsoTutely!" (oh no, she asked for a second confirmation....this can't be good)

Keely: "Daddy, when I eat food what does my body do to make it turn the color of pee pee and poo poo?"
Me: ....silence....(I have no clue....why does it turn colors? that's interesting...hmmm....I should google that in a few minutes...ah, there's my answer)

Me: "Well jelly bean that's a really smart question. It has to do with digestion and when you get a little bit older I'll teach you googling."

Keely: "Googlin' sounds fun. Can we do it tomorrow? I'll be older tomorrow."
Me: "How about we blow bubbles outside tomorrow?"
Keely: "Yay"
Me: "Close your eyes, go to sleep" (....crisis averted...mental note: google estimated cost for med school in 2027)

In case inquiring minds want to know the initial google result, click here.

Bristol Caverns

2009-07-12T21:21:00.005-04:00

June 20, 2009

Waiting on our tour of Bristol Caverns to get started....

The girls are sitting at the top of the steps that go down into the cavern here!

And here we are down in the caverns....

Memorial Day Cook-Out

2009-05-31T14:00:00.008-04:00

We had some friends over for a Memorial Day Cook-out! The kids ran and played for hours! We had good food and good fun! It was a great time!

Here are the girls with their sweet friend, Ainsley, as they "crashed" from all the playing! Happy Memorial Day weekend to all!

Happy Birthday Dada!

2009-05-31T13:47:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to the best daddy in the world!

XOXOXOXOXO

End of the Year Pre-school Program

2009-05-31T13:40:00.002-04:00

Here is Keely with Mrs. Foster, her 3-year old pre-school teacher. This picture was taken right after the end-of-the-year music program, which was ADORABLE! We can't believe the year went so fast! Thanks, Mrs. Foster, for a great first year in school! :)

Keely is 4!!!

2009-05-08T21:05:00.005-04:00

The Birthday Girl!!!

Keely had her 4th birthday party picnic at the Eastman Recreation Area with some of her favorite friends! It was a beautiful day and everyone seemed to have a great time!

Easter 2009

2009-05-08T20:55:00.002-04:00

Before the Easter Egg Hunt at Nannie and Papa Lee's house...Hoppy Easter to all!

Great Weekend in a Great Place

2009-04-13T21:04:00.008-04:00

Issaqueena Falls: One is happy, one is bored, and one is a little scared...see if you can match them up.

Prior to T.I.G.E.R. field day for kids at Littlejohn.

No better place than 'The Hill'!

Copy cat

And the day winds down....

Elvis???

2009-04-09T19:02:00.004-04:00

Several weeks ago we were presented with a preview of a new single....

Costumes

2009-03-20T21:16:00.002-04:00

Cheeeeeeeeeeese!!!!

The girls LOVE costumes. They love to dress up. Laney will truly wear a hot, full-body costume for hours to play. She will wear it in the car and to the store. And yes, this is the same child that didn't want her costume and wouldn't even put her hood up on Halloween. Gotta love kids...

When will it bloom?

2009-03-11T09:58:00.003-04:00

Waiting on a bulb to bloom...

Charleston

2009-03-07T21:01:00.011-05:00

A wedding in Charleston was a great time for the girls. It was their first wedding so not only did they get to see a 'Princess' in a white dress, but also enjoyed some Shirley Temples, cuttin' a rug' and eating some shrimp 'n grits.....Most importantly, they learned and agreed to not get married until they were old like Daddy, and Daddy would provide chicken and french fries and none of that 'yucky' stuff (I'll be drawing up the contract agreement for them to sign soon).

You can't go to Charleston without going to the beach and seeing the lighthouse on Sullivan's Island.

(Imagine the 'Chariots of Fire' theme song playing in the background)

Greenbelt

2009-02-22T20:22:00.003-05:00

Last Friday, not this past Friday, but the Friday before (before the Strep epidemic ambushed our house), we took off to the Greenbelt for a little afternoon run.

The Greenbelt section we were on is roughly 5 miles from end to end. And No, we didn't attempt it nor did the thought cross our minds. That's a long way to go and no way were we motivated (or physically conditioned) to do the whole out and back, but little legs moving fast cover a lot of ground. And If you take the length of the legs by the distance of the step as ratio to the measurement of the terrain covered, then you get....ummmm, you get 4 tired people who all got sick 3 days later....but we did see some ducks.

Perspective of a 3 Year Old

2009-02-06T20:22:00.009-05:00

Earlier today while her sibling was taking a very quiet and peaceful nap, Keely requested several hundred times to hold the camera (could have been a thousand times, I really don't know). Here are a few selections from the new photog:

Poor Mox, chased for nearly 30 minutes to obtain the perfect butt shot. I like to believe Keely was trying to get a shot of the tail and was hoping for the perfect lighting...

I do admit that if I had to climb something that high several times a day, I would want a picture of it too.

'Action Shot'. Taken while spinning in a circle.

Who hasn't tried to get a self-portrait? I believe it's in human DNA.

The Test: This is a close up picture of a cartoon that was on during the photo shoot. Can you tell me the name of the cartoon? and bonus points for the character name.

Puddin' Time

2009-02-05T11:34:00.004-05:00

Who doesn't love good ol' nana puddin?

"Give us something good to eat...something that's good on the gums and teeth"

Thanks Nannie

SNOW DAY!!!

2009-02-04T13:37:00.007-05:00

Here is the snow-covered house....BBBRRRRR!!!!

And the snow covered Mommy and Laney.....

Of course, Keely was smart and hid in the playhouse to stay warm!!

Not Lulu...she must have made 100 snowballs with Daddy!

...and then, some fun on the sled with Daddy!!!

And then we all came in and had some hot chocolate to warm up!

Chuck E. Cheese

2009-01-24T22:04:00.004-05:00

"Chuck E. Cheese....where a kid can be a kid...."

I don't think you can truly own being a parent until you have spent a few hours at Chuck E. Cheese! HA! Keely and Laney had a great day today at Chuck E. Cheese with some of their favorite friends. They played and danced and ate! Keely actually got to attend 2 back-to-back birthday parties, which was fun for her since she missed the past 2 weeks of school with walking pneumonia! Some of Ashley and JL's favorite friends were there too...but it was hard to find them amongst the +/-200 screaming kiddos! Good times...good times! Happy Birthday Graham and Austin!

Keely's New Haircut!!

2009-01-24T21:55:00.002-05:00

These pictures do not capture the blue and gold glitter that they put in her hair (that does not wash out AT ALL!!!!) Keely keeps asking me how to get her long hair back....uh-oh!

Christmas in Mooresville 2008

2009-01-24T21:08:00.006-05:00

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas visit to GramB and PopPop's house in Mooresville. Keely and Laney got to see Great Grandmama Parker and play with their cousins, Jeyaraj and Prakash.

Here is a picture of 4 generations of Parkers...
back row: GramB and Cousin Lynsey
front row: Ashley, Keely, Laney, Great GM Parker, Prakash, Cousin Christie, Jeyaraj

And let's not forget Uncle Tommy, the kids' FAVORITE toy! They couldn't get enough of him!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-09T16:32:00.006-05:00

...the night before Christmas...right before bed....SO EXCITED!!!!

and then, Christmas Morning...

Permalicious!

2008-12-19T17:15:00.002-05:00

What Jersey Girl doesn't love a good PERM?

Keely's Christmas Program

2008-12-18T19:12:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pix of Keely at her Pre-school Christmas Program....she was an angel! :)

This is Keely with one of her best friends from school and playgroup, Graham!

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family!!!

Visit with Santa

2008-12-14T15:50:00.005-05:00

HO HO HO!!! Happy Holidays to everyone!!!!

We took the girls to see Santa and Mrs. Claus on Saturday in Jonesborough, Tennessee. GramB and PopPop went with us too and got to share the Christmas excitement! Of course, the kids were probably more excited about the other special friends they got to see at "Santaland", like Mickey and Minnie and Elmo! :)

FALL!!!!

2008-11-30T19:25:00.005-05:00

Well, it has been a while since my last post. The last month has been busy for the Morris family. Ashley and JL had pneumonia and spent about 2 weeks pretty sick, coughing and wheezing. We also have the new company we are trying to build, pre-school, raking leaves, the holidays, etc., etc., etc, etc. It has been crazy!

Most importantly, we need to send UP big hugs to Papaw Jack, JL's granddaddy. We lost Papaw on November 12th. We know he is in a wonderful place now, but we all miss him. Keely says he is up in the clouds with Jesus...and she has her own "little angel". We are so glad she and Laney were able to get to know him and love him!!!!

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!!! Gobble, Gobble...

Halloween 2008

2008-11-07T19:46:00.004-05:00

The happy family before trick or treating began.....

Ariel and a kitty cat (who wouldn't put her hood up so noone knew what she was...)

and all of our special trick or treating friends.....

BOO!!!!!

Morris Radio

2008-10-25T12:52:00.002-04:00

Who needs satellite radio?

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-04T15:27:00.006-04:00

We made our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch today. We took the hayride to see the animals and the pumpkin patch. Then, we went on a new family "adventure" thru a Corn Maze! This was quite exciting for the first 15 minutes. Then, after realizing we were completely "lost" in the maze, both girls fell asleep on mommy and daddy and were carried thru the rest of the maze for 45 minutes. NICE!!!! :)

A Visit from the Bowens

2008-10-04T15:06:00.008-04:00

Here is Lulu with her new best friend, Joy! She couldn't get enough snuggling with Joy! (which is not like Laney at all! It was cute!) And Keely played all weekend with her new favorite friend, Will. She keeps asking when he is coming back to play!

Snuggle Buggles

2008-09-16T21:17:00.005-04:00

CHEEEESSSSE MOMMY!!!

....the girls snuggling together and being sweet right before bedtime! (they know this will usually buy them a few extra minutes before bed!!!)

Game Day!!!

2008-09-16T21:01:00.003-04:00

1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4! C-L-E-M-S-O-N ---T-I-G-E-RRRR-S! Fight Tigers, Fight Tigers, Fight, Fight, Fight!

First Day of Preschool

2008-09-09T21:02:00.008-04:00

First Day of Pre-school for Keely and "Sibling Care" for Laney

(They both had a slightly rough start (double melt-down), but seemed to enjoy it once they gave it a chance!)

(Poor Laney. Her little bookbag has diapers, wipes, extra clothes, lotion, juice, and a snack stuffed inside. It tipped her right over when she tried to wear it!)

A day trip to Blowing Rock

2008-09-07T21:36:00.011-04:00

On Saturday, we met GramB and PopPop in Blowing Rock, NC for the day. We walked, ate, shopped, played, ate, fed the fish, watched the ducks, ate, chased a bunny, hiked, ate, danced, ate, and laughed. It was a good day!

Eastman Youth Race

2008-09-07T20:59:00.008-04:00

On Friday, Eastman Road Race had a Youth Run for all the little ones in Kingsport. Keely ran 75 yards (from the orange balloons to the purple balloons) in the 2-3 year old race with her Dada.

Okay, Dada, I am ALL stretched out and ready to run!

Hi Mommy! Hi Lulu! Hi Nannie! Hi Papa Lee! Do you see me? I am running! Cheeeeeeeeeeese! Did you get the picture! I am running fast like Dada! :)

Yep, I've got this running thing all figured out. I could even do it blindfolded! :)

Great Job Keely! We are so proud of you!

Announcement

2008-09-06T20:42:00.002-04:00

My Fellow American Children:

I am pleased to announce my candidacy for leader of the free world in charge of all things fun, entertaining, and happy.

You may question my experience, but I am well qualified. Just last weekend, while laying in the backyard looking at stars with Daddy, I found it....the wishing star.

I made my wish.....a 'blue blanky' because that's what I really need. And because I can make things happen, I had the blue blanky by the end of the week.

So, what does this mean? do wishes work? maybe, maybe not, but we're going to see because I made another wish today. This time, for a new swing set....the reaction wasn't quite the same as the 'Blue Blanky' wish, but I'm holding strong.

"What about the existing swing set?" I Love It! But I'd love a new one too!

So when the phone rings at 8 p.m. and the stars are starting to show up in the sky....who do you want there to pick up the phone and make that wish?

I thank you for your vote. God Bless America and Daddy (the pushover). Keely.

Feeding the Ducks

2008-09-03T21:55:00.002-04:00

Even the ducks in the lake at Warrior's Path Park weren't crazy about those Gerber pineapple-mango "puffs" for toddlers. But, we sure had fun throwing them out into the water anyway!

A Visit From Aunt Les

2008-08-30T07:49:00.011-04:00

Last week, we had a short visit from a super close friend of ours from Indiana. Aunt Les was here for 2 days and we felt obligated to show her EVERYTHING that Kingsport has to offer. This made for a busy, but quite fun, visit! First, we started with "Open Gym" at our local gymnastics place. I think that Aunt Les had more fun on the trampoline and in the foam pit than the girls!
Then it was time for some outside playtime (tickling) at Castle Morris....

..followed by a visit to Pals, a popular local hamburger joint, with the BEST sweet tea in the world! (Laney and Keely love their sweet tea...)

After naptime for Lulu, a challenge after all that sweet tea, we were off to Bays Mountain to see some animals. It was the first time ALL the animals were awake and easy to see, including the wolves and the river otters! Then, a stop at Nannie and Papa Lee's house turned into a dinner visit so that Keely could "finish" her nap!

We ended our Tour De Kingsport at Discovery Ice Cream, a cute downtown ice cream shop, where the girls put in a token and get "ice cream from a robot". This place just so happens to have the BEST cake batter ice cream on the planet! Then, we took our ice cream out into the downtown streets for "Bluegrass on Broadway", where the kids showed Aunt Les how to cut a rug! It was so much fun to have such a great friend share some of our favorite places with us! Come back soon, Les! We love you!

.....Of course, that was last week, before Laney got pneumonia! We have since been stuck at home with a very miserable child! Fun times!

Beach Ball Challenge Respsonse.

2008-08-17T12:07:00.006-04:00

Dear Nicholson 5:

Our Champion has been chosen.

After a few days (or minutes) of trials, one athlete stood out above others and natural ability prevailed.

Training is expected to begin this week between episodes of barney and chasing the dogs. Training will include balancing on the couch, bouncing on daddy's stomach(hopefully avoiding incidental injury to the old man), jumping over toys, falling off the 'big ball', laughing uncontrollably, and screaming loudly and without reason as often as possible.

To fully prepare for the Beach Ball Challenge, a steady diet of macaroni & cheese, some chicken & french fries, as well as several cups of applie juice a day will complete the needed nutritional requirements.

Since concrete ponds are limited in East TN, we will be utilizing our top secret "Tiger Training" facility.

Team Morris officially accepts the Nicholson Beach Ball Challenge.
We look forward to the competition (no old people allowed),

Coach Keely

Little Sister's Revenge

2008-08-09T20:01:00.003-04:00

"Don't mess with the bull, you'll get the horns"

Team Whine-O

2008-08-07T20:34:00.006-04:00

Well, after a few days solving a slightly major computer metldown and getting the new one set up, we're back.

This is an important week, as we kick off start of training for the St. Jude Marathon.

Back again, is Team Whine-O, now 4 strong and recruiting more. Everyone is welcome. Only requirement is a willingness to suffer and team membership comes with all the whine you can stand.

Since we're in the "Why" phase with Keely, I've find myself asking why more
often. So, why do we do it? In true form to most answers of Keely's questions; "I don't know". It must be the shiny metal at the finish line.

Quote of the day:

"I decided to go for a little run." - Forrest Gump

Happy 4th Birthday Jay!

2008-08-02T21:06:00.009-04:00

We made a day trip to Winston-Salem for Jay's (second cousin to Keely and Laney) 4th Birthday Pirate party. Here are a few pictures:

Some new 'boy' toys to play with;

A little Pirate treasure hunt;

Some musical entertainment;

and a picture with Great Grandma Parker (holding the newest great grandchild: Prakash)!

Stude

2008-07-30T16:02:00.007-04:00

The Studebaker inspection team made a surprise visit to Papa Lee's shop last night and were pleased with the progress.

Keely wants it to be painted yellow (and pink)and Laney simply wants to drive (and drive fast I'm sure).

Rain Dance

2008-07-27T16:05:00.003-04:00

Always make time to play in the rain...

It's time to Blog!

2008-07-23T18:09:00.004-04:00

Is everybody Happy? OH YEAH!!

Is anybody Blue? OH NO!!

Sixteen Rahs ought to pull us through...

Hey Rah..Rah..Rah, Rah, Rah...

Hey Rah..Rah..Rah, Rah, Rah...HEY RAH!