The real reason I have kids

Merrick is really turning into a funny a little boy and I have been able to catch some of his funniest moments on film. So here is the real reason I have kids. Enjoy!

Last weekend we were getting ready for our Elder's Quorum Party and our friends came over for the pre-dinner festivities. Well, while I was getting things ready in the kitchen my good friend Elissa disappeared with Merrick in the bathroom only to return with Merrick looking like this. His very first mohawk. We took him like this to the party and his hair was such a hit. I'll have to do his hair like this again sometime.

Merrick got into a fight with a blue highlighter last week and as you can see lost, poor kid! He would've kept going had I not screamed when I saw him because I was in a state of shock. If you look closely you'll see that he even has blue ink on his lips. To top it off it didn't wash completely off for at least 2 days.

Oh this is a good one. Last week it rained here in Merced and like all rainy days you have to find innovative ways to entertain your kids. So I came across this 80's headband and put it on Merrick as a joke but he looked so funny I had to take some pictures. The best part is that the rest of his outfit was totally 80's too so the headband just completed the whole look.

Merrick had a blast when we went back to Carpinteria to visit family a few weeks ago. We went to a pancake breakfast for a friend's school and they had free gymnastics there with tumbling mats, balance beams and a trampoline. He loved it so much he kept going back. This smile is hard to get on camera so I was happy when I caught it on film.

Merrick loves to be naked. He knows how to take off his clothes and diaper now so sometimes I'm a little surprised when I go into his bedroom after nap time to find him unclothed and pointy to his you know what saying "this". I can't believe I'm going to have another boy!!!

Yosemite

We got a chance to go to Yosemite with Sean's family the weekend after Thanksgiving and had a ton of fun.

This was Merrick's favorite place to play. It was a huge wooden tee pee that had a peep hole in it.

Merrick weighs something like 28 pounds which is 28 pounds more than I can handle right now being pregnant so I'm always handing Merrick over to Sean and telling him "I'm already carrying one of your children, I can't carry both". So Sean gets to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to carting Merrick around.

Happy Family Pose. We were trying to get lots of pictures of the three of us for our Christmas Card and this one is by far one of my favorites. I'm totally thinking we should have used it , darn it.

Day After Thanksgiving 2007

Sean's family came to visit us the day after Thanksgiving and stayed with us for the weekend. Here's Brandon getting a ride on Merrick's little push cart. He's the only one with thin enough hips to fit in this little thing. Merrick loved every minute of it.

Here's Auntie Meg hanging out on the couch with Merrick.

Grandpa Donovan reading one of Merrick's favorite books to Merrick.

Grandma Donovan and Merrick spending some quality time together.

Merrick loves his little bookcase so he took anybody who would come to see it and then had them read books to him.

Thanksgiving Day 2007

Here's our happy family on Thanksgiving Day.

Here's a glimpse of my ever growing belly. I've grown so much in the last few weeks I just can't believe it.

Here's my goofy dad, posing for his individual picture.

Here's my cute mama posing for her pic with Merrick.

Uncle Bud asleep on the couch and Sean teasing him while doing his homework.

Our "Gobble Till You Wobble" table that was put out in the morning so that people could snack on before dinner.

Going home for the weekend

We got a chance to go home for Veteran's Day weekend and surprise both of our families. It was such a whirlwind weekend that we only got a few pictures of Merrick with his grandma Hewitt. This is one of my favorite pictures of Merrick. This is exactly what he looks like now a days. He has lots of Blonde hair, freckles and beautiful blue eyes. Little girls have already started calling him handsome at the park.

It's so hard to get pictures of Merrick especially when he's having too much fun playing but we try anyways.This is Merrick and A-ma as he calls her.

Here's my attempt at a picture with Merrick which turned out terrible but I'm going to post it anyway. As you can see he was trying to get away to keep playing. I guess kids will be kids, right?

Our life up to now

This is one of Merrick's favorite outfits, I swear!!! He loves these rain boots and if they wouldn't stop falling off his feet he probably would never take them off.

Personally, I think he just loves the little eyes and mouths on these boots.

He also likes to play bowling with some water bottles we have in the kitchen. He's the bowling ball and the bottles (as you can see) are the pins.

He likes to make sure that he knocks every single bottle over, even the ones that are full of water. Go figure!

Halloween Night 2007

Here are some pictures from Halloween Night. Merrick as you can see is Tigger from Winnie the Pooh and Sean is a Notre Dame football player. Trunk or Treat was such a blast we all had a good time.

Here's our attempt at a family photo taken by Sean. Poor little Merrick got cut out but his little ear is still pretty cute.

Here's Merrick dancing to the music outside. I must admit he's got some soul to his little body, he was a busting a move or two at the party.

Here's a quick glance at our pumpkins for this year. Merrick had so many pumpkin activities this year that we somehow ended up with 5 pumpkins total to carve. I used one pumpkin for pumpkin seeds and here's a picture of the other four. I figured it was okay considering we're sort of a family of four now that Memphis is in the oven.

The smallest one is for Memphis, than goes Merrick, Mama (I'm the scary one) and the Papa pumpkin (the goofy one with the buck teeth and big ears).

What October means for us

Putting up the Halloween decorations.

It rained on Friday and Sean took Merrick outside to feel the raindrops on his face. I was trying to snap a pic of my boys catching raindrops in their mouths but my camera has that delayed thing going on so this is what I got instead. Oh well.

Merrick's going to be Tigger for Halloween. My parents came up for a visit so we were letting them see what he's going to look like in his costume.

Here's a full body shot of his costume. My favorite part is when he walks the tail wags in the cutest way.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Pumpkin Patch last week and the kids had a ton of fun. These are Merrick's good friends Chloe and Andrew.

Here's a pic of the grown ups.

Merrick in the corn maze. He loved it.

Elissa sat Merrick near all of these pumpkins to get a picture and it quickly became Merrick's favorite spot so whenever he got a chance he would run back and sit in this spot by himself. Too cute!

Grandmas

The One Flaw In Women
By the time the Lord made woman,
He was into his sixth day of working overtime.
An angel appeared and said,
"Why are you spending so much time on this one?"
And the Lord answered, "Have you seen my spec sheet on her?
She has to be completely washable, but not plastic,
have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable
and able to run on diet coke and leftovers,
have a lap that can hold four children at one time,
have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart
-and she will do everything with only two hands."
The angel was astounded at the requirements.
"Only two hands!? No way!
And that's just on the standard model?
That's too much work for one day.
Wait until tomorrow to finish."
"But I won't," the Lord protested.
"I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own
heart.
She already heals herself when she is sick
AND can work 18 hour days."
The angel moved closer and touched the woman.
"But you have made her so soft, Lord."
"She is soft," the Lord agreed,
"but I have also made her tough.
You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."
"Will she be able to think?", asked the angel.
The Lord replied,
"Not only will she be able to think,
she will be able to reason and negotiate."
The angel then noticed something,
and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek.
"Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model.
I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."
"That's not a leak,"
the Lord corrected,
"that's a tear!"
"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.
The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy,
her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love,
her loneliness, her grief and her pride."
The angel was impressed.
"You are a genius, Lord.
You thought of everything!
Woman is truly amazing."
And she is!
Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy..
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideals.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have vital things to say and everything to give.
HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,
IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Hanford Mom

Grandpas

When God was creating fathers, He started with a tall frame. An angel nearby said, "What kind of father is that? If you’re going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put fathers up so high? He won’t be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without a lot of stooping." God smiled, "Yes, but if I make him child size, who would children have to look up to?" When God made a father’s hands, they were large and sinewy. The angel shook her head sadly and said, "Do You know what You’re doing? Large hands are clumsy. They can’t manage diaper pins, small buttons, or rubber bands on pony tails." God smiled, "I know, but they’re large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets at the end of a day…yet small enough to cup a child’s face." Then God molded long legs and broad shoulders. The angel nearby said "Do You realize You just made a father without a lap? How will he pull a child close to him without the kid falling between his legs?" God smiled, "A mother needs a lap. A father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, balance a boy on a bicycle or hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus." God was in the middle of creating two of the largest feet anyone had ever seen when the angel could contain herself no longer. "Do You honestly think those large boats are going to dig out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries? Or walk through a small birthday party without crushing at least three of the guests?" God smiled, "They’ll support a small child who wants to "ride a horse to Banbury Cross" or scare off mice at the summer cabin, or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill." God worked through the night, giving the father few words but a firm authoritative voice; eyes that see everything, but remain calm and tolerant. Finally, He added tears, then turned to the angel, "Now are you satisfied that he can love as much as a mother?" The angel was silent.
-Anon.