The Merrills

Rockin' Out

2011-05-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Mark is so much cooler than I am. He broke out the guitar the other day and had a jam session with his boy. I happened to walk in at the right moment with my camera. Can't you see the admiration on Milo's face? Hopefully, he will have this much enthusiasm when we're completing his Eagle Scout project...

Spoiled

2011-05-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Of the 24 hours a day, Milo spends the majority of his waking hours in someone's arms. Yeah, we're spoiling him, but he is by far my most cuddly baby and being my last, I want his little fingers trailing along my arms, or reaching out to grab my face as much as possible

He is so content to just hang out. He will sit in his "boinger" or "space shuttle command center" (the exersaucer), for a short stint, but then is usually picked up for a cuddle.

So I ask, who is the one really being spoiled?

Mighty Faith

2011-05-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

On April 14th, my nephew, Stephen Merrill, shattered a vertebrae in his neck, leaving him paralyzed. During the last 20 days, I have witnessed miracles in his recovery as his family and friends have joined in prayer, asking for his recovery. Stephen had just accepted a mission call to serve in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was wrapping up a successful freshman year at BYU.

Stephen maintains the most optimistic attitude and gives every ounce of energy to his rehabilitation. After 12 days in a Utah Valley ICU, he returned to Barrow's in Phoenix. Mark has spent time in the hospital with him, helping to give much needed time off to Spence and Genny, his parents. I visited him on Sunday and was left feeling so optimistic. The road to recovery will be long and hard, but I have no doubt Stephen will receive the blessings he has been promised.

Many of my friends have graciously prayed for Stephen, and we ask you to continue to do so.

His mom, Genny, updates a blog daily: stephenmerrill.blogspot.com
and he has a group page on facebook: We Love Stephen Merrill

You will witness a miracle.

w-HOA!

2011-04-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

To those of you who complain about HOA's (including us sometimes!) Without the protection of an HOA, this could be your neighbor!

This fellow happens to live across the street from my brother-in-law. This is his front yard! Apparently, it was a LOT WORSE until he tidied it up a bit.

Alexis Merrill is going to PARIS!

2011-04-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

(Note to reader: This post is purposely told in the third person)

Alexis Merrill opened up her email today to find the following:

Okay, it is hard to read so Alexis will just tell you!

Alexis is going to Paris, France on May 16th!

This was a total surprise! Can you believe how romantic and spontaneous Alexis' husband is? This was not even on her radar. She was a little thrown off because there is no companion listed on the reservation, and what about her son, Milo, who will only be 6 months at the time of departure. Nonetheless, PARIS BABY!

Alexis burst into the living room, where her husband was on his computer and politely inquired what he had up his sleeve. He played coy for a while, then 'fessed that he did not know what Alexis was yammering on about. Alexis led him back to her computer and showed him the email. He swore up and down that he did not do it. Alexis reread the email a bunch of times and saw that it was certainly not spam. She even logged into the Airfrance reservation portal and saw that it was a real ticket. In the interim, Mark got on the phone with AMEX, the credit card that the ticket was booked with and there was no transaction with AirFrance.

While gazing at the reservation, Alexis noticed a phone number and realized that maybe, there was another Alexis Merrill who is the one going to Paris. Maybe the two Alexis-es have similar email addresses and this is a mistake.

(Back to first person, since it is obvious that I, Alexis Merrill, author of this blog, am NOT going to Paris.)

So I rang up the OTHER Alexis Merrill and she was so not excited to talk to her name-twin. She explained that her boyfriend made the reservation and forgot her middle initial in the email address. That teeny-tiny letter separates our cyber-lives and for one day, we were connected. Blah.

Okay, so there is another person floating around with my name. BUT, my former moniker, Alexis Tappen, has to be totally unique, right?

Of course, I had to do a quick Google to find out.

AHHHHHHH!
This is what I found!

This is a photography studio's preview of portraits taken at a dance recital. I am pretty sure this is a girl with her hair pulled back but the outfit, make-up and pose are soiling my good name!

Welcome to the Promised Land!

2011-04-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, Mark informed me that I was not a "true Mormon mom." Whaaaaat???? Okay, I don't have vinyl lettering in my house, nor do I tote those file folder quiet book things around, but I make my kids take piano, have the Mormon minimum of 3 kids (actually I surpassed that minimum!), and I recently acquired my first piece of stamped jewelry with my family members' names on them, so how was I lacking?

Two words...

Homemade bread.

I couldn't bake a proper loaf of homemade bread. If it turned out, it was by freak accident. I made very flat loaves, or wrinkly topped loaves, but not the kind that your visiting teacher brings on your birthday!

My mom tried to intervene and bought me a bread machine. Even following those directions perfectly didn't give me good bread.

Finally, I came across this recipe:

Wheat Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast (active dry yeast will work also)

Instructions:
1. *Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.

2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. [more info on loaf pan sizes] Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm!

(Courtesy of TheIdeaRoom.net)

I worked on it by hand and found that it was almost failproof. Then i adjusted for my Zojirushi breadmaker and now I put the ingredients in at night, and we enjoy hot bread in the morning!

Cute chicks

2011-03-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors hatch a few chicks every year. We admire their cuteness, and talk in a high-pitched squealy voice around them. When the novelty wears off (for them, not us), the chicks are sent to the grandparents' house to lay eggs and probably be turned into a casserole.

Mia and her little friend

Layla was really scaring me with this chick. I was having "Of Mice and Men" flashbacks!!!

Yes, they are cute, and the chickens aren't half-bad either....

How we spent our (spring) vacation

2011-03-21T22:17:00.000-07:00

The fam headed north to Utah for our spring break. Mark's brother and family graciously allowed us into their home. Their three girls, Erin, Alli, and Jenna, were NOT on spring break, but it was still one continuous slumber par-tay!

The whole goal was to hit the slopes. Milo was the only one who would not don skis this trip.

Layla kept looking for the rabbits on the "bunny hill." She liked the traditional snowball fight apres-ski better than actually skiing. I think the only reason she agreed to try was because her skis said, "Princess."

The girls...and Scott--Erin, Mia, Uncle Scott, Jenna, Ava. Alli is standing to the left, but I had my mega-zoom lens and I had already hopped out of my skis and walked a little ways down to hill to snap this picture. I did not want to get too far away from my gear.

The train. Top to bottom-Unknown skier, Erin, Mia, Alli, Ava

Me and the girls.

The first day we were up there, I had worked so hard to get all the gear into the lodge, Milo set up with Gram Penny, hats, coats and gloves on the proper girl, etc. I sat down, exhausted, and thought, "This is not my year." I can do this again in 2 years. Mark came in and told me to get on the lift for a run. As I was sailing down the mountain, I was so happy and it was all worth it!

Chip off the (young and beautiful) block

2011-02-27T12:22:00.000-08:00

Three weeks ago, my friend Mary asked me to come to her home to help her decide if some curtains went in her house. We chatted for a bit, Milo barfed on her, then she said, "Can I carry him home for you?" Why not?

When I arrived back home, my friends and their kids were gathered in my family room. There were cakes, cupcakes, brownies, and a few candles! A surprise party for me.

Now between the fabulous baby shower my girlfriends threw me in October, and Mark's 40th shindig in November, I think we've worn these guys out with Merrill celebrations, but to my total surprise, they revealed that it was all Ava's doing!

She made invitations,

baked the cake at Danae's,

and formulated a plan to get me out of the house. (You mean Mary doesn't need my "expert" opinion on curtains!)

That's my girl!

Unfortunately, this marks the SECOND time in my life that I have shown up to my own surprise party in sweats! (Click on the picture for a closer view, there's no way I am going to retype this story!)

Guest Blogger: Ava

2011-02-22T18:57:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, my parents gave me and Mia identical hats and gloves, plus ice skating lessons. On the first day, we discovered that we could also go for free any other day of the week.

My teacher was the US champion in ice dancing and even competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics. We have been watching her on YouTube. (Al's note: Google Lang and Tchernyshev)

My friend Hannah has been taking figure skating lessons too. She sold me her figure skates!

I love ice skating!

The Haul

2011-02-15T08:18:00.000-08:00

Sunday kicked off the week of celebration in our home. Remember, birthday, V-Day and anniversary in 4 days. WHEW!

It was the fourth anniversary of my 29th! This photo was taken over Christmas break in California.

To the victor, goes the spoils....

Roses from my sweetie

Stamped jewelry for our completed family

Cuddly minky blankie.

Major Renovations on Memory Lane

2011-02-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

This is the bookshelf of scrapbooks from my pre-digi days. Tomes that weigh about 13 pounds each. Some of the holes on the sheet protectors have torn so they swivel and fly around. My sister-in-law, Joy, gave me the idea of scanning each page and printing them into a hard bound book like my digi-scrapped books.

So I employed Ava to do my scanning. She is trying to earn some money, so I promised her $5 per whole book scanned (about 100-115 images). She was a little miffed that this took about 2 hours and she could not play on Barbie.com simultaneously.

She did a great job, although I keep finding files like this.

Some of the images will be left in their original state. Not fancy, but the memory is there. Like these.

Others will get redone. Digi allows me to add the flair I could not do with paper since I had a hard time spending hundreds of dollars on ribbons, flowers, expensive stickers, and many, many sheets of paper. I can also easily resize photos or blow up small details that I could not do with the standard 4 by 6 photos.

So these

become

I can consolidate pages and add some much-needed journaling. I also add names in the off chance that say, Carrie D becomes famous for something other than her amazing transformation from all-American girl to high school tartlet.

Hindsight has given me an interesting perspective on these events and I can also write down things that I think my posterity will enjoy. For example, my mom and I went the rounds about sleeves on the dress shown above. I am glad she won!

This

becomes

This little ditty

becomes

And the coolest part? This becomes

this!

Boy Wonder

2011-02-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

I employ a monitor to help me hear Milo when he is in his room. I just don't want him to get worked up trying to get my attention. I was in my room on my computer when I heard him cooing on the monitor. He seemed content so I just let him go. Then I heard him say, "Dada." I thought is was a coincidence until I heard it again! My baby can say "Dada" at three months! Boy genius!

Then I heard a female voice and a child's voice that didn't belong since Milo and I were the only ones home. Turns out, we are picking up the neighbor's monitor.

By the way, she is a screamin' mom. She really scared Ava.

Thrice as Nice!

2011-02-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

Our sweet Layla turned 3 years old! This is a bittersweet birthday for me, as it marks the beginning of being a big girl. Being three means preschool, moving into Sunbeams at church and a host of other big girl things!

Mark and Mia went and got her some balloons. For some reason, she is wearing her Santa Claus dress. Hey, it's your day sister! Do what you want!

In true Layla fashion, we had a wardrobe change into her blue denim dress.

Opening Grandma Penny's present. Two outfits and a Blue Ginger dress. Our favorite. Also a mermaid doll. Layla has been nursing all her dolls lately (gee, I wonder why?) We will find out if mermaids are breastfed too.

The big present from Mom and Dad. A PINK Razor scooter. When we purchased this, I told Mark, "Mia is going to be SOOOOOOOOOO jealous!" Sure enough. I explained to Mia, "Layla is the third girl. She will never get anything new." That seemed to help. Mia now wants to buy pink spray paint for her scooter.

The woman knows what she is doing! I should add that Layla has a fever of about 100 deg through all these and was doing the croup thing the night before. Turns out, an ear infection.

'Nother wardrobe change. She is wearing the aforementioned outfit and holding the mermaid. Notice the clippie in the hair! We are now able to "do" her hair! Yay!

Manual labor with dad.

Oh yeah, this guy is three months. Mia wants to know why he can't walk yet...

Updated Family Photos

2011-01-25T08:14:00.000-08:00

Had to take some photos when we went to the coast for Christmas.

Multi-tasking blogging

2011-01-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

Here you go. What we have been doing.

Yummy

2010-12-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

4 weeks down. Sleeping only 2 hours at a time during the night still beats being pregnant! I just love this guy!

The Hill

2010-12-02T20:30:00.000-08:00

My beloved is over the hill. To mark the momentous occasion, I surprised him with a birthday dinner with 5 couple friends, his PHX siblings and his mother. I had it at our house and had been planning it for a few months, knowing that I would have a newborn.

I assembled lasagnas at my neighbor's house, dropped off ingredients for salad and appetizers for other friends to prepare for me, and stashed paper products, centerpieces, rolls and other party items in various hiding places throughout the house.

His mother came to "babysit our kids" so I could take him to dinner. I was still in my sweats so he agreed to take his mom to Michael's on an errand while I got ready. In the 30 minutes he was gone, I hurriedly set tables, laid out food, lit candles, and greeted guests. I put Ava at the window on lookout and when he walked in the door, we were all in the foyer waiting for him.

It was a fun evening and I can't believe I pulled it off!

You should know that in the discussions on adding a fourth child to our family, Mark told me he didn't want to have any past 40. I slid Milo in with 25 days to spare!

Mine

2010-11-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

A Family Affair

2010-11-09T13:52:00.000-08:00

The girls looked forward to this event as much as I did. They asked a lot of questions and prayed for Milo during the entire pregnancy. My insurance company sent me a little booklet about pregnancy and Ava read it cover to cover. When I came home and announced to Mark that I was 2 cm dilated, she asked, "And how much effissed?" (Tried to recreate her pronunciation of "effaced.")

When Layla came to the hospital, she inspected the baby then was a little concerned that I still had a big belly to go with it. She kept asking, "Is Milo out of your belly?" Yes, Layla, he is. Now she thinks I am fat. They were most excited to check out his "unit" if you know what I mean. I don't think they were impressed.

This is what happens when you celebrate 10 years of marriage!

2010-11-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

Milo Tappen Merrill, born Friday, November 5, 9:03 am. 8-12, 21 inches. Blondie (eventually). We are happy!

The Damage

2010-11-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

Before Halloween candy...

After Halloween candy...

(But to be fair, the before pic was taken in June)

Here are ways that I am punishing the baby for not coming yesterday...

1. Watching Mad Men season 1
2. Eating neighbor's authentic Indian food
3. Listening to Jim Rome in the car
4. Allowing him to be externally poked and prodded by Dr. L.
5. Listening to Rihanna
6. Wearing clothes that are too tight
7. Pointing out the fact that he will turn 18 a few days after a presidential election, and thus will not be able to participate in civic duty for at least 2 years (midterm elections) or 4 years (next presidential)

Hello Little Piggies

2010-10-31T10:40:00.000-07:00

These little piggies have been trying to stay busy.

This week:

This little pig went visiting teaching

This little pig played at the park with Layla (twice!)

This little pig made chili for ward party

This little pig went to the temple

This little pig washed the carseat, bassinet, baby bouncer, and got hubby to set up crib

This little pig served left-over chili (see above) at neighborhood block party and inhaled Texas caviar.

This little pig made bread

This little pig made 2 lasagnas--one for us, one for friend going through chemo

This little pig organized laundry room

This little pig made fun shirt (see previous post)

This little pig helped out at class party

And now,

these little piggies want to go wee-wee-wee to the hospital.

Will keep you posted

If you can't beat 'em...

2010-10-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

Might as well dress up for Halloween.

Ava is a geisha, Layla is Tinkerbell, and Mia is a witch. I made my cool shirt. Gotta love wonder-under and Google. (My hat is not part of my costume..)

Our baby's first sight

2010-10-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

So, when our little baby decides to join us, this is most likely the first face he will see.

Doesn't he bear a striking resemblance to this guy?

That is where the similarities end.

I could use Will Ferrell's humor through this though.

He also delivered Layla and she seems okay :)

False Alarm!

2010-10-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

So I titled my last post, "Unexpected Loss" and I freaked out my friend. I am still here, pregnant and uncomfortable! Just to clarify, due date is November 16th and yes, I will get bigger. Baby Milo is so low and uses my bladder as a pillow or a punching bag.

Considering Layla came 11 days early, can I hope for November 5th? That would be about 3 1/2 weeks!

It's like pulling teeth...

2010-10-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Mia lost her first tooth! Now, normally, we don't get too excited about this normally-occurring event but Mia just turned 6. Ava didn't lose her first tooth until she was almost 7 1/2! The other reason this is noteworthy is that Mia can be a little dramatic when it comes to pain, blood, discomfort, etc. We dreaded this event.

I was taking her to lunch on her birthday 2 weeks ago when she screamed out, "My mouth hurts, my mouth hurts! It feels like my teeth are falling out!" My heart raced a little and I quizzed her on whether she had hit her mouth during recess. When I was able to inspect, I laughed as I told her, "Mia, you have a wiggler! That is completely normal!"

Mark and I told her she would have to pull it out when she was ready. A few nights ago, she ran into our bedroom at 4 am laughing and showed us her tooth. It had come out in her sleep and was just sitting in her mouth. No drama, no tears!!!

82.5%

2010-09-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

33 weeks. 42 days left. Okay, rude people, I am ready for you.

Yes, I am all baby.

Yes, I am low.

Yes, I am uncomfortable.

Yes, this is my last one.

Yes, I mind if you touch my belly.

Now, because my husband thinks I focus on the negative way too much.

Thank you, Hillary S., for telling me how cute I have been dressing. I made a conscious effort to avoid muu-muus and sweat pants. It took some time on my own sewing machine and some helpful blogs to create maternity pants, shorts, skirts and capris that fit my odd shape.

Thank you, Shellie J., for telling me I must eat like a mouse. She just doesn't know the mouse is actually one that spent time in a radioactive plant and is the size of a football player.

Thank you, Danae E., for recognizing the days that I do my hair and make-up.

And a big THANK YOU to all those who say nothing at all!

Freedom!!

2010-09-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

I really can take no credit for the latest breakthrough at our house. It really is true that it will be easy when they are ready. I just wanted to know when "ready" was, but this woman was totally inspired by her big sisters. So I get an 8-week vacation from the diapers before it's newborn sizes, mustard squirts, and something that is totally freaking me out---WATER SPOUTS!!!!

Looking back

2010-09-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

Baby Mia arrived when the world was ditching film cameras for digital ones. Now, we could "fire at will," taking thousands of pictures of the same scene, then choosing the best ones. This totally changed my scrapbooking. I never knew which pictures to print, and I gave up paper scrapping. In late 2006, I started my digi-career. I went back and digi-scrapped as much as I could, filling in the gap between my last paper album, and the present time.

I was backing up my EHD and I found a whole slew of Mia pictures that had never been printed, just saved in the deep, dark recesses of the EHD. Mark had been nagging me to scan what paper scrapping I had done of Mia to make her a book of her own (which is what I did for Ava, because as my first child, EVERY moment had a page to go with it.) I got to it and produced a baby book for her, which I am hoping will arrive by her 6th birthday on Monday! I ended up redoing most everything, because my style has evolved and I wanted everything to be just perfect for her.

I decided to throw up some of my faves.

The funny part about doing this was that a lot of my pics were out of focus or nonsensical but I just threw em in anyway.

Digi-pages in lieu of posts

2010-09-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

Baptized

2010-09-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

The blog is not my friend. My interests are in the digi-scrap so maybe I will start posting those.

It has been 4 weeks since Ava's baptism. It was a glorious day, albeit hot, which I why I did not get photos of her in the dress I made for her until last night!!!!

The headband was a knock-off of something I saw on Etsy and the dress was my own design. My mom swooped in and finished it for me so that it would not have funky sleeves and safety pins up the back!

We had the privilege of sharing our day with my dear friend Mary's son, Dallin, who Ava has been friends with since they were three!

Ei8gt is gr8

2010-07-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Ava turned 8 last week. The countdown to the baptism has begun!

Nalu

2010-07-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

Before we found out our impending bundle of joy was a boy, I remarked to Mark, "You wouldn't do anything differently if we had boys." He takes our girls golfing, teaches them tennis, and most importantly...

How to Die Slowly...

2010-07-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

A brief backstory: Our family along with 3 of our dear friends, journeyed to the Gila Valley to tour the gorgeous new temple there. As we were pulling out of the driveway, Layla began to vomit. However, we had a hotel reservation and a weekend planned, so we went for it. It was a great experience, probably the only time I will ever be in a temple with a barf bucket. She recovered the next day and life went on.

Okay, about this.

Hana is located on the east side of Maui, about 70 miles from here. However, it takes more than 3 hours to get there because of the extremely curvy roads. Mark and I had not been since summer 2000 (it has taken me 10 years to want to drive there again) and we thought it was a good year to take the kids. The drive is scenic and gorgeous and tedious. You are rewarded for your diligence and safe driving with a fun hike through a bamboo forest ending at a gorgeous waterfall!

Here we are at the surfboard fence up Kaupakalua Road. Notice how happy and vibrant we are!

One of the less curvy curves.

Here's where my story turns ugly. Layla started having diarrhea. The shoot-up-the-back kind. We changed her each time but I was really fretting because she was so uncomfortable. The plan was for Mark to drop me off at a quaint hotel while he took the girls on the hike, however, I could see that Lay was in no condition to hike. We had a picnic at Hana Bay then I had voice my opinion on the matter. We needed to forgo the hike and return home immediately. The girls were greatly disappointed and tried to dissuade me in every way, but I remembered the Gila Valley trip and tried to hold firm.

I had relented and we stopped at Hasegawa's General store to replenish our diaper and wipe supply. I was still uneasy, but I wanted Mark and the big girls to have this experience. Layla and I would just have to wait it out in the hotel. However, my precious baby validated my initial choice by vomiting. That sealed the deal and amidst tears and pleading, we pointed Betty back east and headed home. The girls were amazing about it, and Mark managed to salvage the day by taking them to a roadside waterfall. They got the waterfall experience without the 1.5 mile hike which I repeatedly pointed out.

Layla would not be stopped and by the time we got to Kahului, I was sitting the back, shirtless in my bra, because Layla had soiled every thing in the car. She did finally go to sleep though.

So, it's official. I am done with Hana. Twice in a lifetime is enough for me.

Ahoy There, Matey!

2010-06-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

We enrolled Ava is a week-long sailing camp at the Lahaina Yacht Club. They learned sailing lingo, etiquette, and most importantly, how to right a capsized boat.

Ava rigs the sails!

Ava and her cousin, Amelia, at the right side of the pack. (A nice way to say last place...)

Ava getting back in her boat after tipping it while rounding the buoy.

Before the week began, my sailing knowledge consisted of knowing what "tacking" meant. Pretty much I am still there, but I will sail with Ava any day.

Be Your Own Migrant Worker

2010-06-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

Living in white suburbia doesn't afford many opportunities to teach my girls about living off the land. We were granted access to a pineapple field north of here and set to work harvesting our own crop of pineapple.

The pineapple grow low, along the ground and one twist releases the heavenly fruit into our hands. Picking is addictive and somehow we ended up with a whole trunk full of em.

What we don't devour, we have sliced up and are dehydrating.

Breaking the Cycle

2010-06-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

The baby looked perfect. Arms, legs, heart, internal organs...everything you want to see. Except for this strange third leg in between the other two. Now I have never seen that on an ultrasound before. Weird, huh?

Neglect

2010-06-18T16:57:00.000-07:00

Neglect---the worst form of abuse.

Apparently, what this blog is suffering from.

Here's my excuse...

(Baby coming Nov 16. Will let you know sex next week.)

Ace!

2010-02-22T16:13:00.000-08:00

Being married to a tennis guy, I am excited about the prospect of my husband coaching our daughters. Mark has really been working with Ava and Mia since the summer and they have progressed. Ava has really caught on and I can actually rally with her now.

Mark felt that Ava needed to be playing with kids her own age, since she seems to thrive on "healthy" competition (clearly her mother's daughter.) Mark organized a little tennis clinic, held one day per week at the local high school. It has had its growing pains, and we're discovering the real differences between boys and girls.

After 5 weeks, the kids (okay, the boys and Ava) are getting into a routine and not annoying Mark as much. Mark needed to burn some of the boys' energy so he lined them up along the long wall so they could practice hitting a ball repeatedly against the wall.

With 6 kids swinging rackets at wild balls, this was bound to happen....

Meet Bryson, the son of my dear friends and neighbors. Yes, Ava wielded the racket that struck the tooth (permanent, I might add) of Bryson.

His parents were very gracious about the entire incident, always stating, "It was an accident." I, however, was mortified. He was able to get a composite tooth the next day and we have had a successful tennis lesson since.

PS. If you care to join us for tennis, please call me, we never meant to exclude anyone, we just happened to put together of group of kids whose parents had expressed interest!

VD--Gotta love it

2010-02-14T07:45:00.000-08:00

I get Valentine inspirations from the weirdest things. Like when I overheard a lady at Wal-Mart calling her kid a "smarty-pants." Hmmm, I could eat Smarties right now. I tossed the store-bought "Wizards of Waverly Place" valentines onto the canned beans shelf and did a scorching U-turn to get to the candy aisle.
With Smarties in hand, I head home to figure out how to mass produce pants. Any help Levi-Strauss?
I cut a pair of pants from construction paper, scanned it, then made a template in Photoshop.

Mia adding the John Hancock for her 30 classmates, plus neighbors, friends, Primary teachers and relatives.

3rd Anniversary...

2010-02-13T06:58:00.000-08:00

...of my 29th birthday!

Dos

2010-02-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Baby!!!

It's in the blood!

2010-01-21T18:22:00.000-08:00

Our time in Maui this summer afforded Mark the opportunity to really work with Ava on her game. Imagine our surprise when we found that consistently playing with her, rather than the occasional time at the court, leads to much improvement! I really used to worry when about 15 seconds after the ball sailed past Ava, she would swing.

Mark saw the dream of a child protege disappearing too!I rallied with her the other day and I am sad to say she will be surpassing me very soon. We were excited to introduce her to this stud over Thanksgiving at Wailea.

Lindsay Davenport, former world's number one!

Hitting my stride

2010-01-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

I got a dSLR camera a year ago and have found a new hobby! It has taken a lot of practice and a lot of time in Photoshop, but I am loving the results. Unfortunately, I have also been interested in an upgraded camera and more lenses, but for now, here's a visual snack of my girls!

Whale of a Tale

2009-12-19T13:19:00.000-08:00

Pictures from our November 28th whale watch on Maui. Yes, we went back for Thanksgiving. Yes, we loved it. Yes, we spent almost 25% of 2009 there. No, we're not moving there.

Why not?

2009-09-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

I like the computer. Some of the things I do with my computer are:

Digital scrapbook stuff

My banking stuff

Buy stuff

Sell stuff

Research stuff

Communicate with people about stuff.

You get the picture....

So here's something else we're doing with the internet....

ONLINE PIANO LESSONS!! (for $15/month!)

Ava completed the Let's Play Music program. I had a beast of a time finding her a teacher that wasn't an old hag. While venting to my mom, she told me about this program, Pianomarvel.com. A guy I knew while growing up wrote it. We downloaded the free trial and ran with it. It works really well for us with the springboard of Let's Play Music and Ava is having fun with it. I like it because she PRACTICES. We're going to keep researching for a good piano teacher for next year, but for now, we're loving this!

Where were you?

2009-09-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago, I was padding down the hall for a cereal breakfast with my husband of 18 months when an image on the TV changed my life forever. One large building had come crashing to the ground, and another followed in less than an hour.

In a daze, I went to BYU's campus for a normal day of study and work, but ended up watching the coverage in the department's office and continually checking the internet for updates. The usual Tuesday devotional was cancelled, and replaced by a sort of support meeting. Upon exit, I was handed three lengths of red, white, and blue ribbons with a straight pin poked through it. I pinned it to my shirt as a symbol of mourning, shock, and hope. That ribbon sits in a scrapbook today so that I will never forget.

I hope you don't either.

This girl

2009-08-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

wakes up
gets dressed
makes her bed
eats breakfast
brushes her teeth
does her hair
fills her (and her sister's) water bottle
puts on her shoes
grabs her tote bag

and

goes

to

KINDERGARTEN

I found out I was expecting her on January 25, 2004. After doing the math and realizing she was due in September, I was already fretting about the blurry line between putting her in school as an almost 5 year old or waiting the extra year.

Well, I did it and she rocks!

Capitol vs. Capital

2009-08-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

I pose a question to you that you have not thought about in a long time. What is the difference between "Capital" and "Capitol"? They both refer to places of government importance. It is just sometimes hard to remember which one to use.

To answer this question, I traveled to the source of knowledge for all things US Government: Washington, DC.

I began my quest for knowledge at the obvious place: the hallowed US Capitol.

The rotunda with the statue Freedom perched atop

It helps to have a good tour guide as you waddle through the piles of BS that fill the hallways. I believe the stimulus package came from this building, so my previous statement is making more sense. I employed the services of an intern for the congressman from AZ, Matt Johnson (also my nephew, not a big deal because nepotism is common here)

Matt & Al

The rotunda from the inside

I learned a lot here, but still needed more information. Smithsonian's 14 museums ought to have at least one exhibit to clear up my confusion!

Didn't get the answer I was looking for, but look! The puffy shirt from Seinfeld in the Museum of American History!

Here I am at the White House.

I believe the person who has the nation's worst job lives here. I will come back when it is under new management....in 3 years.

Tori, me and my mom.

When one is in need of knowledge, consult great minds of the past...

Any help Mr Washington???

How 'bout you Jefferson?

When in doubt, consult the sacred cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake.

My girls were in the care of Mark so I really got to enjoy reading EVERY placard in the National Gallery of Art, the National Portrait Gallery, the Hirshhorn, the Renwick Gallery, the FDR monument.

So here's what I learned.

cap·i·tol
Pronunciation: \ˈka-pə-təl, ˈkap-təl\
Function: noun
1 a : a building in which a state legislative body meets

b : a group of buildings in which the functions of state government are carried out.

c : the building in which the United States Congress meets at Washington

cap·i·tal
Function: noun
: a city serving as a seat of government b : a city preeminent in some special activity

So the US Capitol is located in the capital of the US.

By the way, my feet hurt.

Daddy Love

2009-07-30T23:10:00.000-07:00

After 6 weeks of being petrified of the ocean and politely sitting on the sand with a pail and shovel, Layla found a way to have fun (and terrify mom) at the beach.

Love-Love

2009-07-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time

There was a boy

Who moved from sunny California

To the beaches of Maui

His hair was blond

His skin was white

He was an outsider

He tried to play football

They were bigger

They called him "haole"

He cried in the huddle

When football was over

All the kids went to the tennis courts

The boy followed

A man named Wakida taught all the kids

For free

He fed them balls

He made them run

He created a family

He was local now

The boy liked tennis

He was good at tennis

He won a lot

Colleges said "Come and play"

He got to travel

He got a degree

He got a wife

They had some kids

Tennis took a backseat

One summer, they said, "Let's do it."

They went back to the island

He went back to the courts

And this time

He stood on the other side of the net

He fed the balls

And his daughter returned them

No one calls her haole

She is "his" son

They are happy

The end

Mark's advice--See the ball, hit the ball

The song remains the same

Merrill v 2.0

The new coach

Homage to the master. They named the courts for him in honor of his service to the Lahaina community.

Whadd'ya Say?

2009-07-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

So here's the plan. Someday, we'll have a place here, and you are all invited to come spend time with us during the summer. We'll snorkel, hike, bury the kids in the sand and all things beach. At night, we'll sit on the lanai and stare at this:

I'll make fresh smoothies with Maui Gold pineapple and Aloha Maid guava juice. Just leave me a comment below and tell me what you will make for the occasion. (I'll start the grocery list...)

Aloha!

Kolohe

2009-07-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

Less than a month 'til Layla goes into nursery! I learned a new word today at church that definitely describes our Layla--Kolohe (ka-low-hey). It means "mischievous." Layla seems to think that anything that comes in a tube is sunscreen, thus I have caught her rubbing toothpaste, Desitin, and lotion on her head. At least she wants to wear the sunscreen!

Driven

2009-07-10T00:17:00.000-07:00

When "Betty" our 1994 Ford Explorer was set to retire, we packed her on a slowboat to Maui, to enjoy her retirement shuttling members of Merrill family around and hauling groceries from Costco home for Mark's mother. She was perfect for island life--no need for AC (doesn't work anymore), and max speed on island is 45 mph (she can't go faster than that anyway!).

I had a major case of deja vu last week. We were up north, hiking the Nakahele blowhole, and Mark had to hike down the highway to retrieve the car. He came screaming up the road in Betty, windows down, blond hair blowing in the breeze. It took me back to the beginning of our relationship. My heart would pound when I saw the red car come around the corner, retrieving me from a long day in the Benson Building on BYU's campus. I would climb in the passenger side, plant a kiss on him and head off for our time. We were (and still are) best friends. That car took us everywhere.

Pretty soon, it became "my" car too. He willingly turned her over to me, tolerated the Madonna CD in the player, never complained about the seat being moved all the way up, mirrors adjusted. He just wanted it kept clean and in good repair.

We live in a disposable world now. Throw it out and buy new, rather than caring for and coaxing more life out of clothes, furniture, even relationships. We throw around terms like "starter marriages," like it is cool thing. The way Mark treats Betty is indicative of his whole life. He meticulous cared for Betty, doing ALL in his power to keep it running. When it simply could not perform its needed function, he found an extended life for it. Even here, he wants it kept neat and clean, in good repair, and to be of service for those lucky enough to come here. He is sad when he hears it is being taken for granted and abused.

When Betty can no longer take to the road (she is a Ford after all), I will bet he will sink it in the ocean, in a strategic spot so that maybe it will become an artificial reef or a popular dive location.

The Leap

2009-07-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

There is an old stone pier that juts out from the beach we regularly attend. We regularly hike over the large lava boulders along a rusted chain link fence to stand on the pier and look for turtles. Last week, I decided it would be fun to leap from the pier, which stands about 10 feet above the water's surface.

(The boulders you hike along. Ava lost a slipper down here, major drama)

This took some logistical planning because we have 3 kids who need supervision while their mother acts like a teenager. The whole fam hiked out to the pier and peered over the edge.

Mark decided to take a "safety" leap, ensuring there was nothing dangerous below the surface. After he surfaced, Ava decided that she wanted to leap too. Without a moment's hesitation, she jumped off the rock. In the millenium's biggest surprise, Mia then leapt off the rock. That move stunned us all. The jumpers swam to shore, than back across the rocks to relieve me of Layla so I could take my turn.

(Mark's jump)

(Ava's jump, stupid delay on the point and shoot camera, so I missed it. Mia's shot is even worse, so I didn't bother with the post)

I curled my toes over the edge, took a deep breath, and froze.

Nope, couldn't do it.

The fam started counting down.

I wasn't budging.

It was so far down!

With the image of my Mia in my mind, I stepped off the cliff and enjoyed an exhilirating descent into the water.

(Me jumping, nose plugged just like I'm eight years old)

The next day, we all took another leap, even Mia..

Se7en

2009-07-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday dear Ava, happy birthday to you!

We started her special day with heart-shaped pancakes. She dressed for church then begged to open one present. She opened a dress from me which she quickly changed into. She wore new earrings and a necklace picked out by Mia. Our dear friend made her a special "Happy Birthday" clip which she had been packing around all summer.

At church, the Primary sang to her and gave her a crocheted lei.

She requested salmon and rice for lunch.

We had Ava's birthday party at the El Dorado cabana. I made her a "beach cake" and we opened presents and sang to her.

Tomorrow, Ava and I are going parasailing on a 1200' foot line. Wish us luck!

Fabulous Fourth

2009-07-04T00:57:00.000-07:00

Things that became free on our Fourth of July:

Bananas from their stalk, growing behind the house

American flag from a plastic bag

Ribbons from the spool in the closet

Fireworks from a boat over the ocean

"I changed by not changing at all"

2009-07-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

On Monday evening, Mark and I went to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center to attend a solo concert by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. I have loved his music since his haunting voice first blared from KILO 94 (rocks Colorado!) in the early 90's. Back then, I dug flannels out of my dad's closet as an ode to the grunge rock and wore one while removing the Poison poster from the door to my room.

He played his new music from Into the Wild, interspersed with old favorites. Some of the songs evoked memories from my past, acting almost as a soundtrack to my life for the last 20 years. His performance of "Betterman" caused me to stifle a giggle as I remembered being crammed into a friend's car screaming down Overton Road during the Pueblo and East High days.

The crowd sang along to "Last Kiss" a song that takes me back to BYU, trying to make sense of a Chemistry major and having the most incredible romance with Mark. (How fitting to be at his concert 10 years and 3 kids later!) I remember flipping through Mark's CDs on one of our first dates and exclaiming how much I LOVED Pearl Jam.

"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" takes me to the condo in Provo, starting our family and wild adventures with Leslie.

I had a moment there. Thanks Eddie (and Mark).

I seem to recognize your face.

Haunting familiar, yet I can't seem to place it.

Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name.

Lifetimes are catching up with me.

All these changes taking place.

I wish I'd seen the place but no one's ever taken me.

Hearts and thoughts they fade. Fade away.

I swear I recognize your breath.

Memories, like fingerprints, are slowly raising.

Me you wouldn't recall for I'm not my former.

It's odd when your stuck upon the shelf.

I changed by not changing at all.

Small town predicts my fate.

Perhaps that's what no one wants to see.

I just want to scream hello.

Oh my go[sh] its been too long.

Never dreamed you'd return.

But now here you are and here I am.

Oh, hearts and thoughts they fade away.

[Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town]

from the Vs. album. Go YouTube it. You won't regret it.

One more thing... Eddie Vedder is quite outspoken when it comes to politics. He's good friends with Sean Penn, for crying out loud. Anyway, the playbill is filled with articles about the war, Darfur and other liberal ideals. Mark and I looked at each other with wide eyes, asking each other, "What are we doing here?" Most of the crowd were 30ish from Paia (think 60's San Fran crowd). Eddie and the crowd went crazy when Eddie said, "We're in the home state of the incredible President of the F****** United States." I whispered to Mark, "Don't tell anyone we voted for the other guy..." (Erica, I can hear you sigh all the way from New York.)

That was the only outburst of the concert, and all was forgiven by the next song.

Sand in all the right places

2009-06-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

A Saturday on the beach is even better when it follows a

Monday,

Tuesday,

Wednesday,

Thursday,

and Friday

on the beach.

Sundays are not beach days.

They are days that help you remember that going to the beach is fun.

Mission Accomplished

2009-06-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

Dear General,

I succeeded in bringing down all of them. The father was the last to fall, but he finally succumbed. It appears I was even able to cause infected blisters on the mother's hands. She was seen crashed on the bathroom floor with a wet towel for a pillow.

Signed,
The stomach flu

PS. Some photos of the victims

Honu

2009-06-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, we headed down to our favorite snorkeling spot. There is usually an abundance of fish and, if you're lucky, a sea turtle. Most of the time, you have to swim out pretty far and against the current to get to the spot where they like to hang out.

When we got to the beach, we noticed a turtle about 50 feet off shore. Other people had noticed too and a large groups of snorkelers had congregated above him. Mark took Ava out for a looky-loo while I prepped Mia for her snorkel adventure.

Ava and Mark came back and Mia and I went out for our turn. She was complaining and crying about the mask and the sea water and her life jacket (incidentally, she was coming down with the stomach flu at the time but that is for another post). I snapped the mask on her face, shoved the snorkel in her mouth and pulled her out into the water, directly above the turtle. All complaining and discomfort ceased when she saw the turtle so close. We circled him for a while, then decided to swim closer to the reef where we could see a few fish before going back in.

As we approached the rocks, we caught glimpse of a second turtle, eating the red moss off the rocks. It was so amazing to see them up close. They are just as curious about us as we are of them. Mark and Ava went in for another turn and Mia, Lay, and I hiked up on the rocks above the reef where we stood less that 3 feet from the turtles for an hour.

Wish You Were Here...

2009-06-14T12:58:00.001-07:00

Somehow, God took all the most

beautiful things

in the world and jammed them on a

tiny rock

in the middle of the Pacific.

When you are hot, it rains or a fragrant breeze blows.

When you are cold, the sun peeks from behind a cloud.

When you are sad, a rainbow appears on the mountain. (But who's sad in Maui, c'mon!)

When you have stared at the ocean long enough, a gentle sea turtle pops its head up to say hello.

When you are feeling mischievous, a lumpy toad lets you run him over with a golf cart.

When you are homesick, you see a BYU football sticker on a car, or you overhear tourists talking about how hot it is in Phoenix.

When you are feeling romantic, the sunset shows you colors that you have never seen and your honey is sitting next to you.

When you are tired, it's only 6:00 on your inner clock so there's nothing you can do about it.

We wish you were here to share it with us....

So here are some edited and unedited shots. I {heart} my camera.

Surfboard fence on Hana Highway.

Layla taking it all in

Mia and her shoes.

Ready for beach!

{I tri'd}

2009-05-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, my mouth gets my into trouble. Like the time I said to my friend Mary, "We should do a sprint triathlon." Then I went home and worked Google over until I found one in Tempe for women only. 10 weeks of training in the pool, at the gym and on the trails led to me standing in my swimsuit at 8:00 am on Saturday morning beside Tempe Town Lake and 600 other women.

(Mary and I headed to Tempe at 6:00 am on race day!)

It had been a rocky road. I was having trouble with my hamstring, had a clogged ear for a week and intermittant back pain. Not to mention I spent last Monday through Wednesday in bed with a cold!

My wave started at 8:10 am. We jumped into the lake and treaded water for about 8 minutes until the start. Once the horn went off, you just put you head down and started swimming. I had been training in the pool at my gym which was a pathetic 14 meters long! This leg was 750 m.

The swim was fantastic, definitely my strong event. I did veer to the right a little... The temperature was perfect and it had no taste whatsoever (my two biggest concerns). ----------> Look at me staying clear of traffic.
Mary and I rented really sweet roadbikes for the occasion after we determined that our mountain bikes would be a hindrance to our times. (This argument is akin to an author of a bad novel blaming it on the pen...) The 13.5 mile ride was two loops of the same course and actually really fun. It would have been nice to have been more comfortable on the gears. They were different than my mountain bike and you use one lever to shift up and another to shift down. I couldn't keep it straight so often I would shift the wrong way first.

I was really worried about the run. The first mile was tough and your legs seem like they are on backwards after being on the bike. I found my groove and went for it. It was getting hot. I got discouraged when I saw the "Mile 1" sign. I thought it meant one mile left because I felt like I had been running forever!

Sailing into the finish was the best feeling ever!

Final time: 1:43 (See official results)
Place: 133/396
Back to real life...

Cheer squad. Not pictured are my dear friends and neighbors, Lamar and Danae Echols! Danae was working strep throat but still came out and cheered. She was the first person I recognized as I was running into transition from the lake. Also, Mary's hubby and boys and our neighbors, the Andrewsens. It really helps to see people you know!

{So cute it hurts}

2009-04-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

Know what Layla is getting in her Easter basket? Extra "nigh-nights" so that we always have a few on hand.

A haiku in her honor....

No other will do
A pink, soft piece of heaven
She's worse than Linus

{Why Lance will always beat me}

2009-04-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

This is how a mom trains for a triathlon.

800 meter swim

13 mile ride

5K run

May 9

Tempe Town

Mary and I need your cheers....

Fast Times at East High

2009-03-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, I went to East High School. No, Troy and Gabriella did not go there, but a bunch of other tools did. When I was visiting home a few weeks ago, my parents and I dropped by the old stomping ground so I could take some pictures of the permanent marks I left on MacNeil Drive.

They have instilled a dress code, which I thought was pretty cool, but that didn't prevent me from seeing more boxer-short clad butts than I was prepared for.

Layla was with me and I think it was my mom's worst nightmare coming true--her daughter trucking a baby down the halls of a high school. Luckily, I wasn't the only one there with a kid...

This picture is a little self-indulgent, but I was proud. I still have dreams where I fail the last semester, or forget that I have signed up for a class, yet never attended it.

The old mural Sarah Vandeberg and I painted in the gym. We spent 3 weeks during the summer after my sophomore year doing this. I remember listening to Elton John's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from the top of the scaffolding.

The pool mural was the first one we did, which led to us being hired to to the gym. We did it during boys' swim season. Not enough Michael Phelps-like bodies for my liking, more like Jack Black-bodies.

Killing 2 Birds with one stone..

2009-03-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

We're in a recession people! Americans are going to have to come up with cheaper ways to entertain their kids. I am using my food storage to create fun toys for the girls.

This all started a couple of years ago when Ava was reading "Ramona the Pest" by Beverly Cleary. In the book, Ramona goes clip-clopping down the street on a pair of tin can stilts. Ava, being a child of the new millenium, asked me about them so we constructed a pair from some pineapple cans. Instead of clip-clopping, it was a lot of falling and tripping as the cans tended to give way if not set down perfectly on the pavement. I had to send them to the recycle bin before we ended up with broken ankles.

Fast forward to '09...before recycling these beastly #10 can, we turned them into monster stilts creating a day of fun.

Toys for tough economic times ahead...

(Isn't my camera awesome?)

9 down, how 'bout 90 more?

2009-02-17T13:12:00.000-08:00

On this day, nine years ago, Mark and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Never in my wildest dreams, did I imagine it would be this GOOD and this FUN....

...and this many daughters!

And it just keeps on getting better.

Dad 1, Prostate Cancer 0

2009-02-17T13:05:00.000-08:00

My father, John, had successful surgery to remove his prostate yesterday. Though the cancer was aggressive, it was isolated in the prostate and excision of the 2.3 ounce terror was all the treatment he needed. No chemo or radiation! He will be home this evening, and Layla and I will be at his beck and call on Friday.

New Family Rule...

2009-02-04T21:51:00.000-08:00

Layla is to be monitored at all times....

Busy...

2009-01-29T21:40:00.000-08:00

Never a dull moment at the Merrill household.

I think we're good on our crayon supply!

I should add that I had already cleaned up these crayons twice today.

From 2700 feet, with love....

2009-01-19T16:19:00.000-08:00

We went on a hike in Phoenix last week (those from the Rocky Mountains, insert joke here_____). Camelback Mountain is about the most famous mountain and Phoenix, so the Merrills, and the rest of the weirdos who live in Scottsdale, ascended it. It was a pretty challenging hike for the girls, but they loved scramblin' up the rocks. Layla bounced the entire time and cried when Mark stopped, paused, hesitated. We enjoyed the view from the top and the sense of satisfaction we got from completing a hike with no meltdowns (from Alexis, of course. Maybe someday I'll tell the story of my meltdown on top of Mt. Timpanogos, it's one for the books. I am surprised Mark still married me after that...)

Mia, being so patient, while Mom fiddles with apertures!

The nation's fifth largest city.

Pondering...

Happy to be on the summit....

Lessons Learned...and Still Learning

2009-01-14T09:44:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine was frustrated with her daughter's nonchalance about her bicycle helmet. I offered to forward her some photos of Ava from an incident in August. Since my first love is my digi-scrapbook, all the effort goes there instead of the blog. Here is the page I made to commemorate the event.

Getting to know you

2009-01-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

Oh you sweet camera, I love you and hate you at the same time. I feel so inadequate when I clutch your hard body in my hands and even more powerless when I hear your cool click-click-click and I see the clearest, most delicious picture appear on the LCD. However, I have visions of how I want it to turn out and I can translate it yet!

In the Beginning...

2009-01-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

....there was the word, and the word was...

..."Dada."

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2008-12-29T14:58:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to you and yours!!

Santa visited our home sometime on Christmas Eve or in the wee hours of Christmas morning. He must have been super tired because he had a few slip-ups.

I was surprised to see that he had taken a few pictures of the tree with my digital camera. As I was downloading the photos, Ava noticed that not all of the presents were in the photo! It only means that Santa took a break halfway through our gift-giving to snap some photos for me!

I also have my suspicions that Santa borrowed some of my wrapping paper because some gifts from him were in the same paper as I used to wrap one of the girls' gifts.

We forgive you Santa, you are the best!

Here is what we woke up to.

The girls with the loot!

Layla, who was happy to eat paper all morning.

Oh yeah, did you notice how blurry that first photo was? Well, no more. Santa brought me this...

Community college night class, here I come!!!!

Sittin' in a tree

2008-12-21T14:43:00.000-08:00

My brother, Henry, and Tori Harris were sealed in the Mesa Temple on Saturday, December 2o. It was a great day. Clare and her family, Marshall, and my parents gathered for the occasion. We were very grateful that Henry selected a bride from the valley as it made travel very convenient for us!

The BYU professor that Henry works for set him up with Tori, his sister-in-law. Apparently, sparks flew! Henry now works for his brother-in-law!

My girls were little flower girls. It was so cold that the girls had to wait in the foyer of the temple, because the visitor's center had not opened yet.

They love Aunt Tori!

Hoofin' it to Christmas

2008-12-12T14:34:00.000-08:00

In July, the girls and I ran a 1-mile fun run in Provo. It was so fun and we talked about doing it again during the Gilbert Days Festival or the Mesa Turkey trot. However, I was little turned off at having to fork over $60 to do this and end up with a crappy t-shirt.

Armed with my email list, I invited all the kids I could think of to participate in the 1st Annual Reindeer Run. Mark scouted a location where we would not cross any streets, driveways, parkways, etc. Ava and I made chest numbers for each participant and bought candy canes for the finishers. We had more than 30 kids, plus their parents hoof it with us.

Mark had to run to the turn-around point to make sure the kids turned around and left Mia running alone. She panicked and started to cry at the sight of her dad leaving her in a trail of dust. A girl in our ward, Ivy, took her by the hand and ran the rest of the way with her. They would stop to walk then start to jog again. Mia was so grateful and drew a picture of the two of them running that we delivered the next day.

Hey, if Tonya Harding can do it...

2008-12-10T15:39:00.000-08:00

The girls and I went ice skating at Polar Ice on Saturday.

It was actually more fun and LESS WORK than I thought it would be. Mia could support her own weight after about 45 minutes and, by the time we left, I only had to hold one of her hands to guide her around the rink.

Ava's practice on the roller blades really paid off and I think she only slightly bruised her tailbone!

We're goin' again over Christmas break, come with us!

And one to grow on...

2008-12-05T09:09:00.000-08:00

I started this post right before Mark's birthday on November 30. Then it got lost on my "to-do" list. I never finished it, but wanted to post it anyway. Maybe I will have all thirty-something things up by his next birthday!

In honor of Mark's thirty-somethingeth birthday, here are thirty or so things you should know about him!

1. He is the youngest of 10 children.
2. He eats cereal every night at 9pm, you can set your watch to it!
3. He was actually named "Dan" at birth, but changed to Mark very soon after. However, he did not discover this until 5 years ago.
4. He graduated from Lahainaluna High School.
5. He played tennis for BYU-Hawaii.
6. He spent a day at the San Diego Zoo with an alleged kidnapper and his young victim.
7. His all-time favorite movie is "Papillon."
8. He loves Guns 'N Roses
9. He makes the best scrambled eggs.
10. He had his own outboard motor boat at age 12.

11. He is super organized.

12. He is an obsessive list-maker.

13. He loves to read biographies.
14.

PBK, I am onto you!

2008-11-16T22:03:00.000-08:00

Since I am now a bona-fide copyright infringer, I may as well clean the skeletons from my closet. Remember this cutie from (I'll protect the innocent) Ceramic Structure-Where-Farm-Animals-Live Preteens (If you are struggling, shoot me an email, I'll walk you through it)?

Well, I liked it. I don't have much Thanksgiving decor, so I decided I could save myself $59 plus S/H by whipping one up. My faithful Wonder-Under Tutor Leslie deserves most of the credit as she introduced me to the Craft-N-Bond.

One thing led to another and, on Friday night, my gals (protecting the innocent again), Doris, Betty, Hazel, and Birdell and I crafted one for each of us. I would have loved to have proof but somehow I had back spasms that day and really wasn't that useful. However, it was fun and, I'll shoot anyone the pattern if you desire.

Ways I am becoming my mother

2008-11-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

I have a great mom. She taught me well and I have always wanted to make her proud. I realized the other day, that I am becoming her. Not that any of these things are bad, they are just very Melanie-esque.

1. Ava forgot to bring home her lunch bag. As I was packing her lunch the next day, I shoved the entire ensemble into the recently emptied granola bar box for her to take to school. Why waste a paper bag?

2. I frequently reply to the statement, "Mom, I can't find my ________" with "If I find it in your room, you are grounded for a week."

3. I allegedly have used the statement, "Your dad and I have to have this furniture long after you are out of the house, so stop abusing it."

4. I put onions in stuff even after Mark begs me not to.

5. I think I have gone to the mailbox in my bathrobe.

6. I loathe school fundraisers and wonder why they can't just send home an envelope asking for donations.

No matter how hard I fought against my mom, she wasn't going to let me fall off the edge. Thanks for the wonderful legacy you have given me, and a definite standard to measure up to!

The New York Times endorses Obama! Beware!

2008-11-04T10:58:00.000-08:00

What's Judy doing looking at my blog anyway? I would have taken a pic of the nasty scorpion, but Mark obilterated it with Ava's church shoes....

Sorry!

Found in my comments:
"Hello,I just came across your blog and found a copyrighted image there. About.com owns the copyright to that image and doesn't allow it to be reproduced without permission and a fee. I ask that you immediately remove that image. Alternatively, you could certainly link to the page at my site where that image appears. Here's that link.I am supposed to report copyright violations to the legal department of The New York Times, but I would prefer to give you the opportunity to correct this mistake.
Thanks for your quick attention.
Judy Hedding
About.com Guide to Phoenix, AZhttp://phoenix.about.comwww.
About.comAbout.com is part of The New York Times Company

Uninvited

2008-11-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

A high-pitched scream from Mia is not uncommon in our house, but when it accompanied a scorpion-sighting, we all had heart attacks!

(There was a picture of a scorpion here, but the Obama-loving New York Times made me remove it!)

We came home last night around 7:45 pm and as we entered the house from the garage, Mia started to scream and I saw a 2-3 inch scorpion hit the tile.

My friend's daughter was stung recently so I knew to wash the wound, ice it and give her Tylenol, then we called Poison Control. They were most helpful although I had to leave Mia wailing in the kitchen and go into the bathroom so I could hear the nurse. She told me what to expect (lots of intense pain) and what to be alarmed by (eyes jumpy, like she's had 20 cups of coffee). I was relieved to hear that in 50 years, not one person has died from a scorpion bite in Maricopa County. Whew!

Happy Halloween from Neverland

2008-11-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

The girls and I had great fun with the Neverland theme this Halloween.

Ava is Wendy, and Layla is supposed to be Michael, but her pink sleeper was so small, I thought she was going to be like the Incredible Hulk and rip right out of it.

Mia totally fits the Tinkerbell mold. Pretty to look at but a little sassy.

I am Peter Pan. I hated to include the following photo (eyes closed) but that was the only one of the entire ensemble.

Since I was cranky pregnant lady last year, I decided that I was going to really get use of the costume this year. I wore it to Mia's preschool party on Wednesday and I was the ONLY one dressed up over the age of 5. I think I would have felt more comfortable naked.

One for the vault

2008-10-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

I wish I would have played tennis more before Mark and I had children. I just did not appreciate the simplicity of it. Mark's sister, Jane, has been playing in a league and he has been giving her "lessons" for about a year. I was able to join in recently, although I can only manage to get about 15-20 minutes of playing time before Layla, comfortably seated in her stroller on the court, tells me it is time to quit.

Last night, we went to Jane's for a quick dinner and some doubles. I think she was reeling from a bagel beating and needed Mark to boost her confidence. Mark has a knack for taking the moon balls people send flying at him and returning them back to the center of the court so that you can promptly shoot another moon ball at him. After icing Ava's fat lip (the result of a "Jackass"-like stunt of riding her scooter off the park bench) occupying Layla with lots of toys and finding Mia the Plasmacar to drive around, Mark and I took the end of the court against Jane and her friend.

I had not played a "match" since the spring of '07 so I had my fair share of moon balls and errant shots. I had just settled down enough so that I could return the serve and get Mark into the point when we were suspended in total darkness. As our eyes adjusted to the lack of light, I heard a small voice call out:

Mia had shut off the lights on the court. These floodlights are such that once they are turned off, they must cool all the way down before they can be lit again, about a 10-20 minute delay. There was nothing to do but pick up the girls and head home. I couldn't stay mad, but decided to just marvel at Mia's surefire way of getting our attention.

Like I said, I sure didn't appreciate it when it was so easy.

Look who posted again!

2008-10-17T17:09:00.001-07:00

Aren't you glad to see a new post and not the Breaking Dawn quiz? It is funny because, the longer I wait to post, the more I dread it and tend not just stay away from it!

We ended September with Mia's 4th birthday! Her birthday has always been a funny time for me because I remember how miserable I was at the end and the seven days or so leading up to her birthday, I always think, "I wanted today to be her birthday!" She was super cute though, and even though Ava and Layla were both sick, we managed to squeeze some fun into the day.

She chose these glasses out of the Treasure Box at preschool. Ready to go hunting!!!

I can't figure out why she has her nightgown on, but it's her day!

Here are the things I have been doing that have caused me to neglect my lovely blog.

1) I have been doing Body Pump at Fitnessworks 3X per week for over a month now. I am FINALLY losing the baby pooch. I feel so much stronger and I have stopped wanting to quit 20 minutes into it. I now wish it was over 35 minutes into it!! That's progress right!

My SIL told me my butt had disappeared and my friend (I'll keep her anonymous) told me I had a hot ass.

2) Halloween costumes. I wish I wouldn't decide to sew new costumes every year rather than letting the girls decide and put their costumes together. I figure my window for creative control is small so I have to take advantage. Mia is Tinkerbell and Ava is Wendy Darling this year. We're going to throw Layla in pink sleeper and she can be Michael.

Mia's Tink costume. She won't try it on til "tomorrow."

Now here's a good sport.

3) My crawling monster. Enough said....

4) My next digi-scrap volume! I am back at the computer. I have gotten a lot better and can finish pages faster. I also don't have to "scraplift" as much. Hopefully arriving under my Christmas tree!

Here are a smattering of my fave pages.

The MONSTER!

2008-09-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

Layla is everywhere! She can pull herself to a stand and is viciously attacking the A/V equipment. She knows the difference between the real remote control and the decoy version that Ava ruined with her slobber 6 year ago!

I caught her attempting to storm the castle the other day. Someone needs to dig a moat!

BTW! I finished Breaking Dawn. I hated it until (SPOILER ALERT!) she was transformed. I thought I was going to be okay until (ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT!) Jake imprinted on the freaky perfect teeth baby, then the acid reflux started again. The battle in the forest nodded me off to sleep four nights in a row. The worst part is that it took me the full three weeks to read so I owe 20 cents in late fees to the library. Shall I send Ms. Meyer an invoice?

NYC part 2

2008-09-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

I better blog about NY before I forget. After the fun day at the Open, we decided to spend Saturday in the Theatre District where we were staying. We had lunch with my high school BFF Erica, and Penny (my MIL) and I jetted off to see The Little Mermaid at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Mark and Lay-Bug just cruised through the streets. This is where I have to brag. This girl was going on no sleep and just happily rode in her stroller. She smiled at everyone was just adorable!!!

At Macy's in Herald Square

Dad, you still there?

Manhattan Temple, across from the Lincoln Center.

Consulting the map. Mark loves maps and knowing right where he is. NERD! I just wanted him to put it away so we would look more like real New Yorkers (insert snarky comment here_____)

Layla at Bryant Park (home of NY's Fashion Week)

Layla with the Empire State Building

The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre where we saw the Little Mermaid

Mark's BYU-H tennis teammate, Rafi after devouring Indian food at Baluchi's on 56th St.

Thanks to my mom who came to town to take care of the other girls. They had fun and I got rave reviews about her babysitting.

UNCLE!

2008-09-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

Fine, I am reading it. About 90 pages in... I am not going to be very happy if this turns Rosemary's Baby though. If you have no idea what I am referring to, see here

NYC, part 1!

2008-09-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

Mark, Layla and I went to New York this weekend for the US Open! I hadn't been since 2001, when we had breakfast in the shadow of 2 magnificent towers.... We took a red-eye from PHX that was delayed 2 hours so it was straight to Queens for us!

Mark bought us courtside seats (row 8) in Ashe stadium because he "wanted to hear the shoes squeaking." It was totally worth every penny. We were so close. It was warm but the clouds kept rolling in and out.

All hail Federer!

The line-up for the day session on Ashe was Jelena Jankovic, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic. Roger is arguably the best player to ever set foot on a tennis court and I wanted to have the opportunity to watch the genius at work. He is so graceful and fluid and amazing. The TV does no justice to how fit and strong he is either. He handily won over Thiago Alves.

I had Layla with me and the sun was quite bright so I took her in the club level promenade to feed her and walk around. It was like these people had never seen a baby. After 3 or 4 laps around Arthur Ashe Stadium, everyone knew us!

She was so amazing. She is in a babbling phase so we took her out occasionally. They kept showing her on the big screen in Ashe stadium.

Next post: Times Square and The Little Mermaid on Broadway. Plus, my baby rules Manhattan.

Check this out

2008-08-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

I saw this in the Des News when we were in UT this summer. I love it!

http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/

Thanks to my future SIL for this one (saw it on your blog)

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/

Ava

2008-08-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Ava is definitely a mini-me!!! She bounces from one thing to the next, leaving most things half-finished. She heads to her room for her shoes but ends up on the floor of the living room reading! She always wants to her stories from my childhood and never forgets any of them. She reads the same book over and over again (right now, it's Ellen Tebbits). She's not sure if she should play dolls with Mia, or experiment with my make-up (maybe she could give me some pointers...) She's the second love of my life.

The end of life as we know it...

2008-08-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

Life at our house is changing.

Things will never, ever be the same. ...

Layla has started solid food. This means more baths during the day, the nightly "hosing-down" of the high chair on my back patio, and the end of the innocent mustard diapers.

My girls have discovered BOWLING.

Mia's shoes.

We ventured to Mesa Lanes with our free coupons from summer reading at the library. They loved it all--the shoes, the funny finger-holes.

I'll have you know that yours truly bowled the lone strike in Mia's score. Also, Mia threw a rogue ball that knocked down down the gutter guard in frame 7. We had to get that fixed quickly. It was a great activity and I am glad that I have people to bowl with, since Mark is mysteriously allergic to bowling alleys. (I think it is some sort of childhood issue because he recently found out that he was babysat by Mrs. Kunkel, the nice German lady, so his mother could participate in a bowling league.)

It is back to school for us! The 1st-grader packed up her sack lunch and headed off to school this morning. I am determined to make up for my childhood of dismal sack lunches (sorry Mom) but having a variety of good stuff on hand and to stick a love note in it every day. So far, I am 100%. Ava was so excited that she woke up and was dressed, complete with her lunch and tote bag by 6:30 am. She had her shoes on by 6:50. When Mark took her at 8:15, I think she was ready to go back to bed. I only drove by the school once. She was outside eating lunch with her friends. She looked so cute with her legs crossed at the ankles. I had to pry every detail out of her (I should be an interoogator) after school then gently remind her to throw her lunch trash away instead of bringing it home to me. She had a rather interesting mix of pudding, chip crumbs and sandwich crusts. You think I would be able to handle it after three kids in diapers, but it was pretty gross.

Mia will have her own first day adventures next week, but we discovered what a FULL day at school really means. Luckily, she had her friend Lizzy over. While I was showering, they dumped a whole bucket of Perler beads all over the floor. Because of their unique cylindrical shape, as you try to sweep them, they tend to roll every which way, making a bigger mess. I finally covered the vacuum hose with a panty hose and sucked them up. While I was doing this, they were sweeping the piles I had made first down the hall into Mia's room.

Mia

2008-08-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about blondes, but we are so captivated by them. Mia is dynamite--a big impact in a little package. She's writing on the sofa, then she's sticking things in Layla's mouth, then she's reciting an Article of Faith, then she's having a meltdown in the kitchen, then she's telling me, "I sure love you Mom!"

I know Leslie will appreciate this shot.

Bouncing blonde hair...so yummy!

Family Photos at Memory Grove

2008-08-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

Poor Layla was sooo tired. She was good but lacked the energy to smile.

Love this girl!

Thing 1 and Thing 2!

A candid that I love. My heart just swells when I see this picture!

Last set of photos

2008-07-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

Mia, Ava and Uncle Greg had great fun driving his tractor. This was after they chased cows through the pasture. Uncle Greg is a good sport and is a family favorite!

The girls took tennis lessons from Mr. Patrick at Liberty Park. Ava did really well and learned something, hopefully. Mia needs to work on her willingness to at least go out on the court. She had fun. She runs so fast. At the end of class, they would play "Sharks and Squirrels," a fancy game of tag. Mia won every time because she could outrun all the other kids. Track star maybe?

Riding the rides at Liberty Park. This is before I got nauseated and couldn't catch the operator's attention so he could let me off. Ava and I were the only ones on the ride so I guess he figured he would give us our 50 cents' worth!

Photos, part 3

2008-07-28T14:59:00.001-07:00

On our way to UT in May, Mark took us on a "short" detour to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. While it was beautiful, there are two reasons these things are not as fun for me:
1) My brain typing is such that I take one look and that is all I need. I can remember it. I don't get uplifted and emotional at sights like these. I would rather learn about how they mapped it, or the range of temperatures at different elevations. However, they only want you to look.
2)I grew up in the west. I feel like I have seen this stuff my whole life. Now a condensed, dirty city with infinite skyscrapers, that's cool.

At the Church History Museum, they had an exhibit called, "I am a Child of God." Mia and Ava loved the "nursery" with the babies and hospital kits. I would just get comfy on a bench with Lay-Bug and watch them be mothers and pediatricians. On one such visit, the only available baby was African-American. Mia looked at me with a furrowed brow and I began distracting her with details about the doll and the outfit before she could make an embarrassing comment. She did great though and played with the doll for a long time.

Another "short" detour. We passed through Sun Valley, ID on our way to Boise. Poor Mark, he almost had me convinced it was only 45 out of our way until we hit road construction that shut down the two-lane highway to one-way traffic for about 5 miles...

Photos, part 2

2008-07-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a good picture of the Pink Palace for you to see. It truly was gorgeous. One day, we went up to the eighth floor to see what it was like up there. There was a woman standing in the hall and when she caught sight of us, she exclaimed, "Are you here to see me?" She invited us in for candy and a tour of her place. I knew she was a friend of Gram Buehner's so I told her who we were and she got confused because she thought we were her grandkids. Anyway, after a nice visit and prying the girls away from her candy dish, we returned home. When I opened up this month's Ensign, I was surprised to see this lady's face staring back at me. As Mia refers to her, "our new grandma" is Sister Florence Jacobsen, a past General YW president.

This is our view. Now you see how come we witnessed so many brides!

Freedom Run on the 4th in Provo