Christmas 2008

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!  

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas this year!  I must admit, it was very lonely this Christmas without any family around.  Although the webcam brought a nice feel from home! We opened presents early in the morning, and then exchanged presents with our neighbors. Later in the evening, we went and had dinner with some close friends at a Japanese restaurant. I guess you could say we threw all traditions out the window this year!  Overall, it was nice to spend some quality time together. Hopefully next year we can make it home for Christmas!  

I uploaded some videos of Gracie opening gifts.  I also uploaded some photos of Gracie playing dress-up with her new clothes her Grammy and Grampy sent.  She will be a very busy little girl for the next few weeks playing with all of her new toys!  Thank you!!!

Happy Holidays!

I managed to capture a few pictures of Gracie over the Thanksgiving holiday. It is rare that she will allow me to take her picture, but luck was on my side...plus, she thought she could open one Christmas present if she smiled for the camera :-) The last picture was taken today...Mommy is getting ready for Mia's arrival, and packing a bag to be prepared this time around. Gracie felt the need to pack her own little bag when it comes "time", and I suppose she felt a guitar would come in handy! Enjoy the pics!

I passed!

I must share my news and excitement!  

After accumulating 3000 supervised hours, a long flight from Okinawa to Hawaii, many nights of studying, and a lot of unnecessary stress...I passed my licensing exam!  I am now officially a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker!  As a result, I am now free to practice on my own, I received a nice raise at work, and I no longer have to stress about traveling and passing the exam!  

Thank you to all of you who encouraged me and reassured me that I could do it!  I just can't wait to return to Hawaii for a much needed vacation.  By the looks of things...It might be a while for that one :-)

Baby bump...34 weeks

Here are the most recent baby bump pics. I am finally at 34 weeks and feeling great! With the exception of the occasional kick in the side/ribs/bladder, I can't complain! Crazy to think Gracie was born at 36 weeks...who knows when Mia will decide to make her debut! We will keep you posted!

Marine Corps Ball 2008

This year Mike and I attended the MACS-4 Marine Corps Ball. It was exactly like last years ball except I look like a mini version of a Beluga whale :-) I wasn't left with too many options for a gown that would actually fit around my big belly! Thanks mom for helping out with that one!

We had a really great night, and it was fun to finally meet all the guys in Mike's new command. Below is a picture of all the Marines in Mike's shop...as you can tell...they were all having a pretty good time.

The big sister!

Below are some recent pictures of Gracie preparing for her role as the "big sister." Gracie takes this role quite seriously and has been practicing everyday to refine her big sister skills. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!  Gracie dressed up as Abby Cadabby off of Sesame Street this year, and I must say, she looked pretty darn cute!  She went around "poofing" daddy before the party!  After a while we had to take her magic wand away before she "poofed" another kids eye out!   Below are some pictures of our visit to the MACS-4 command Halloween party.  The last one is a video of Abby Caddaby getting into a little pushing match with Raggedy Anne...funny stuff!  The little girl pushed Gracie and bounced right off of her!  Regardless of the "winner" Gracie had enough of the bouncer experience.  

Baby bump...7 months

Here are just a few pictures I had a chance to capture today. Sorry, I am once again slipping on the blog posts, but as you can imagine, things are quite busy around here. Gracie is getting taller by the minute, and becoming quite the "little princess." However, her favorite show is to watch Ultimate Fighting with her daddy. I can't say the show has been "mommy approved," but I guess I can't monitor everything! As a result, she enjoys playing "boom boom boom" and play hitting mommy :-) Thanks honey!


Baby Morrill #2 is also growing by the minute! She never stops moving...but, I suppose she is preparing for the day she meets her big sister! :-) Boy are we in for it! Overall, I am feeling great and can't really complain...although I am sure I do! I go for a check up next week and some routine testing. Let's keep our fingers crossed everything goes well. This is about the time when I started getting so sick with Gracie.

No names picked out just yet...we are still debating! We have a few prospects, but nothing definite. I am sure it will come down to the last minute on this one. We definitely appreciate all the suggestions.

Videos of Gracie.

I finally had a chance to upload some video clips of Gracie. The first chance I had, I captured Miss Gracie playing in her new kitchen. She is hysterical to watch! We have been "eating" play dough delicacies for dinner practically every night.

The second video is of Gracie and Daddy playing after school one day. Gracie has finally learned to jump, and absolutely loves showing off her new skill. She is quite the entertainer!

Dr. Gracie to the rescue!

I thought I would post some cute pictures of Gracie playing doctor. She was chasing mommy and daddy around the house wanting to listen to our "thump thumps". I am assuming that meant our hearts :-) Enjoy!

Okinawa World

Over the Labor Day weekend we visited Okinawa World. We had a chance to walk through caves, watch the Eisa dancers, and look at the native Habu snakes at the Habu museum. Oh! And I can't forget the ice cream treat to top off the day!

It's a girl!!!

Okay! So, I am not exactly staying on top of this blog. Sorry! My life has been a little overwhelming lately. I will promise from now on to do my very best to keep it up-to-date. As you can tell by the picture...the belly is growing! Mike and I found out a few weeks ago that we are having another girl! Mike seems to finally be adjusting well to the news...but, it did take some time to sink in. :-) We have NO CLUE what we are going to name the little bugger. Not even the slightest clue. We are definitely up for suggestions...Only a few more months to go!

Not so terrible twos...

Let's just say it hasn't been easy taking pictures of little miss Gracie :-) She is constantly in motion, and does not even entertain the idea of standing still! Below are a few pictures I took this morning...the last one taken, she was kind enough to hold still just long enough to flash a big "cheesy" smile, and then she was off again!

Back by popular demand!

I apologize in advance for the gap in time between posts...but, now we are back by popular demand!!! As many of you know, we have had a very busy summer; therefore, I will refrain from making excuses for not posting.
So, this past weekend, Gracie and I went to the Chula-U resort for some fun in the sun. We spend three hours swimming and playing! We had such a wonderful time and will most definitely be returning in the near future!

MASS 2 Easter Party

I am trying very hard to stay up-to-date with this blog. It has gotten extremely difficult lately with my crazy little monster running around! The day before Easter, Mike's command had a fun Easter celebration for all of the Marines and family members. There were pony rides, egg painting, egg hunting, and lots of fun games for everyone to play. I had my heart set on getting some good pictures of Gracie riding on the pony...but, Gracie had other plans in mind. She had her helmet on and looked as though she would actually participate, and then she changed her mind at the last minute. Maybe next time! Overall, she had a great time! She found the golden egg and won a really fun prize. Mike and I played in the egg toss and I ended up with cracked egg all over my face and clothes! Thanks Mike! Of course, Easter would have been better celebrated back home, but this was the next best thing!

Southeast Botanical Gardens

Over the weekend, we decided to break out of the house and visit the Southeast Botanical Gardens. Gracie loved petting the goats and all the free space to run around and act like a mad woman. I still have no idea how they maintain so many plants. I guess I wouldn't, considering I only have 1 living plant in my entire house! The gardens are a "must see" if you ever come to Okinawa. It is breath-taking looking at how colorful and beautiful nature can be.