I am probably one of the most horrible bloggers out there!  My last post has been how many months ago?  but I can promise there are posts coming because I just got back from my first mission trip to Mexico and can't wait to write about it!

Pictures From Around My Home

 

Josiah is a Lego creating king.  He is always making up some lego land that is in fact awesome. 

He didn't care that I took these pictures in fact I don't think he even knew I was there he was so concentrated on what he was doing.

 

 

 I'm still reading the second book  of Narnia and enjoying it sooo much.  I always have loved Lucy and now that I'm reading the book I think I like her even more!

 

 

 

 

 

and Bat Dog..................... ha, ha this little pup really likes having his picture taking.

Getting ready for Mother's Day!
-Morgan

Questions

Picture from pinterest

People ask me all the time.  What is it like being in a large family?  What is it like being the oldest?   Do you ever get time to yourself?  Frankly I'm used to those type questions and it doesn't bother me when people ask them.   They honestly just want to know and yes, occasionally I'll get some smart alec comment like "Boy, bet you can't wait till you turn eighteen so you can move out", but that is the occasional and like I already said most people are just curious and for that reason I'm going to answer those questions.  I don't usually do those wordsy type posts so this will probably be the longest post without pictures I'll ever do.

First off  being in a large family is crazy and down right awesome at the same time.  You've probably heard that being in a big family means you always have a friend and never feel left out?  Well, its true.  With each of us having six kids to play or talk to we never feel left out  and being the oldest is something I wouldn't change if I could.  I love it.

People probably think when they see us "Yeah her kids must be perfect so that's why she has so many" Ha!  Ask any of my siblings and they would say nothing could be further from the truth.  There are days when we argue, when I have little patience for the 2 year old wanting his shoes on a certain way, for the 3 year old begging for the last sip of my Sonic drink or for the 4 year old getting into my make up.  Even though she's in the middle of four boys she's still ultimate girl.

We sometimes argue just like any other group of brothers and sisters but I guess the difference with us is that while most siblings want nothing to do with each other we WANT to spend time with each other.  There are days when I can't wait to stay up and watch a movie with my sister, or reenact Lord of the Rings with my brothers, or jump on the trampoline with the littles.  So yes even best friends get on each others nerves sometimes but they still want to be around one another.

So being in a big family has its rewards and for the last question "do I ever get any time by myself"?. Yes, a lot every night when I go to sleep....just kidding.   Yes, I do get time by myself but I'm not all that of a  by myself type person.  I'm a people person I like to be around others and have fun.

So there you go I have a crazy somewhat wacky family but I wouldn't want it any other way.

Hope I didn't bore anyone with these rambles. I hope to do a much long over due picture post soon!

-Morgan

BOOK REVIEW: THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW

You knew this was coming didn't you? Who can't read a Narnia book and not want to write about it?

Title:  The Magician's Nephew

Author: C.S. Lewis

Genre: Christian, fantasy

Rating:  5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:  Polly and Digory become friends one day in London.  On one of their playing escapades they stumble upon a secret room, Digory's Uncle Andrew's study.  His uncle claiming to be a magician sends them to someplace else. They will encounter Aslan's Narnia newly created from his song, the evil witch Jadis before they will finally return home.

My Thoughts:  Okay so I LOVED THIS BOOK.  Digory and Polly were wonderful together even if they did end up in a fight now or then.   Uncle Andrew- you couldn't help but feel sorry for him at times and I love this part:

[Jadis]  "Procure for me at once a chariot or a flying carpet or a well-trained dragon, or whatever is usual for royal and noble persons in your land.  Then bring me to places where I can get clothes and jewels and slaves fit for my rank.  Tomorrow I will begin the conquest of the world".

"I-I-I'll go and order a cab at once", gasped Uncle Andrew

Ha, that whole chapter was hilarious.  Can't wait for the next book : The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.  Excited to begin!

Negative Elements:  There is a little violence in the book very very mild but probably best for ages 8 and up.

in the land of Narnia

Hello my name is Morgan and I have never read the Narnia Chronicles.

but I've watched the movies!

Does that count?

anyway I'm wondering if anyone has heard if another Narnia movie is supposed to be coming out?

I've heard maybe the next one might be the Magician's Nephew I'm not sure on it but all the book lovin' fans out there will be happy to know I have started the Magician's Nephew and plan to read all the rest of the books in order. 

Katie and my brothers have read all of them and keep telling me I need to .

So yesterday I picked one up and started reading and......

 it is sooo good! 

Let me tell you though Uncle Andrew is creepy.

If the are planning on making the Magicians Nephew Katie thinks Christopher Lloyd needs to be him.

We've seen him in the Pagemaster and heard him play Radagast in Disney's Anastasia and he seems to always be always playing an eccentric shall we say? So she thinks the part will be perfect for him.

All I want is for the movie to come out soon around Christmas maybe?

*My Favorite quote from the book. *

That’s all you know,” said Digory. “It’s because you’re a girl. Girls never want to know anything but gossip and rot about people getting engaged.”

“You looked exactly like your Uncle when you said that,” said Polly.

Concerning BRAVE

Mi familia and I watched this movie for the first time Thursday night.   

I liked some of it and didn't care for a lot of it.  In my personal opinion it wasn't a kid movie. The rebellion was too intense, rude behavior and a certain low cut dress made me disappointed with Pixar.

The things I did like about it were first of all the accents especially when Merida said

"Oh Ma, its just my bow".  We all sorta cracked up on that part.  The music was awesome.  Loved that Celtic sound.  I joked that Kristyn Getty was singing Merida's song Ha!  (We are die-hard Getty fans by the way) I might even buy the sound track.
(This was my favorite song by the way)




I also liked the animation. When we first put it on my Mama said " I thought this movie was animated"- yeah it was that good. (and her bright curly hair was amazing).

The part with the boys competing for her (Merida's) hand was to me the funniest part of the movie especially when one of the boys started freaking out with his bow.  Ha!

I guess my expectations for this movie were high and when I heard it was a Celtic theme it made them even higher.

All in all this isn't your cute Monster's Inc. movie destined for the kid friendly section and frankly the plot didn't appeal to me (it was a little boring).   I kind of feel like Woody on Toy Story 3 concerning my feelings for Pixar on this movie

"So this is it?  After all we've been through".......

I most likely wouldn't recommend this movie although the soundtrack is a different story.

in spring time...

                          "Rain drenched, fresh, vital, full of life, spring enveloped all of us".

-Mildred D. Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

 

These flowers above are my favorite.  About three years ago a lady from church gave me one of the bulbs after I told her how nice they looked at her house.  Since then they have done wonderful and bloom every spring.

Sam loves to color, he does it all the time.  He didn't want me to take any pictures with him smiling because he was so into his picture he colored

Last Sunday I got a lot of information about our mission trip.   Dad and I still have to get our passports and he has to have a tetanus shot.  We called my doctor to see when I had mine it was less than five years ago which means I don't have to have one (Yes)!!!!  Some of the people on the trip get to work at an orphanage and I hope I'm going to be one of them.  Katie said I have to start learning songs in Spanish and her first suggestion was a veggie tales song. (?) 



One thing I have been learning is simple sentences in Spanish starting with "where is the bathroom"?

=)

Missions

 

This summer I will -for the first time- be going on a mission trip. 

I will be staying eight days in Mexico in a city close to Guatemala.

Honestly I didn't even know I was going till the first of March when our leader for the trip called my dad and asked if he wanted to be the worship leader and let one of his daughters help with the music.  Since Katie (my sister)  will have just turned fifteen which is the required age to go it was decided I would go with him. 

At first we didn't know if we could raise the money it was due the first of May.  So Mama was looking around on Facebook at her friends pages who have been on mission trips before and asked what was the best way to raise money.  There were some great suggestions bake sales, host a dinner at a church and so on. 

But before we did any fundraisers though God took care of the need.

There will be a meeting that will tell us more info about the trip this Sunday afternoon -looking forward to that-.  

This is my first time going on a mission trip, my first time traveling outside the country and my first time riding on a plane.  So this will be a lot of "firsts" for me but I still can't wait to be able to have this opportunity to share the gospel outside of my own country.

 

 

Although I hopefully won't  be like Alexandra Rover off of Nim's Island.  You know the one who freaks when she is on the plane ride.?  Ha Ha just kidding

 

 

I 'll be posting more about this trip in the weeks to come. 

 

 picture from pinterest

Sibling Photos - #2

At 5'7 and a half Josiah is the tallest of the Parris kids even though he is only twelve. Josiah is a leader, the first born boy.  He is quiet at times and wants to be a writer or screenwriter when he is grown up.  He also loves to draw and  watch animated movies.  One thing the poor boy has had to endure is people mispronouncing his name he has heard Joziah, Jo-see-ah and Hosiah so each time we are at the doctors or dentist its always a joke what name he will end up with.

Something to think about

 

Dreaming of

Sibling Photos - #1

Animal lover/Wannabe Narnian/ pro-adoption/ sings soprano/ loves Steven Curtis Chapman music/

Katie is the type girl who reads adoption books while she listens to Steven Curtis Chapman.  She loves adoption and knows so much about it.  She's already told us she wants to have as many kids as possible and as many adoptive kids as possible.  Hello auntie here I come.  Katie also loves animals and Narnia. All you have to do is look at her pinterest and you can see that.  One thing she doesn't care for though is having her picture made which is why I have so few=).

Hopefully every Friday I will be doing a sibling post so for the next 6 weeks beware.

A Pinterest Post

 Pictures via pinterest

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." - Victor Hugo

My dad and I teach music lessons. I teach piano while he teaches guitar and voice.  We started last fall with me teaching one and my dad four, now our little academy has grown to ten students.  Teaching one student to four has been a little difficult but a lot of fun.  I love teaching them songs for recital, C scales and warm ups.  I love when I give them a new song to learn and they say "Oh, that's too hard"  then 2 weeks later play it as if it was nothing.  I have dreamed of teaching since the age of ten and now I'm so excited I am actually doing it!

Thoughts From A Monday

One of my New Year's resolutions was to learn a lot more about photography -which is one of the reasons I created this new blog-. 

 

There is so much to learn!  Lighting, shutter speeds, lens, exposure, auto focus, color correction, Adobe photoshop..... and the list goes on and on.  I love studying about it though and finding different sibling and family poses on pinterest.  One of my goals for February is to do a photo shoot of each of my siblings so stay tuned!

 

My First Entry

Yes, this is a photography blog and yes I know there are about a million out there and no I don't like copying... I just love photography . So with that being said  welcome to my blog My Life in Pictures.
The reason I created it was so I could see how much I grow in photography and to be able to share my pictures on the computer.  Without further ado welcome to my blog! 

-Morgan

and in case your wondering the little cutie with the hat is my 3 year old brother Sam.