Oh Boy! Oh Boy!

Spring & Start of Summer

2011-06-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

Kyle, Knox, and Benjamin at Kyle's wedding - It was the most relaxing/non-stressful wedding ever (plus, lots of fun!). Great job Kyle and Kate.

Wow! I can not believe we are into summer. This spring has flown by. We finished baseball with a pain staking loss in the quarter finals of the tourney. Both our boys had a great final game so they were okay with it. Plus, we were in the middle of swim, so we just moved on to the next sport. For 3 weeks, we did both, it was crazy having b-ball practice 3 x per week and swim 4 x a week. Our lives slowed down once we just had swim team. The only thing I can say about swim team is " I LOVE IT"! Our whole family is involved and it is great. We practice 4 days a week and then meets on Saturday. We have had 2 and the boys are doing great. The both compete in the freestyle relay, both weeks their team placed 2nd. They each do freestyle and Carter tried backstroke this last meet. B is trying breast this coming meet. Ryan and I are zookeepers for the 6 and under boys, we have a blast trying to keep up with them. Ryan even competed in the parent relay. His team won, you should have seen the boys cheering him on. During swim team, we have to write their race and heat number on their back with a sharpie. When they found out that Ryan was racing they had to draw on his back too. Ben wrote, "my dad swims faster than your dad", and Carter drew a Stingray (our mascot).

I can't believe Kinder is already over. Ben's teacher retired, so we are starting over fresh with Carter next year. His teacher drilled in him not to have the "summer slide". So we are reading every chance we get! We have lots of activities planned this summer; plus, we will spend countless hours at the pool for my little fish!

Spring means BASEBALL!!!

2011-04-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

Carter playing pitcher. Ben hitting a home run!

Excited about a team out

Carter hitting the ball

My sweet husband asked me Monday night if I was ever planning on blogging again!

Spring means one thing in the Merriman household - it's BASEBALL season. This is the first season out of 6 seasons of baseball that the boys are finally on the same team - THANK YOU!!!!! Since we have 3 baseball events each week, I am so thankful we only have 1 team. This season has already been incredible. Ryan is coaching and I am one of the team mothers that keeps the dugout in order, this is truly a family event - and we have a blast! Benjamin and Carter work so well together (especially as pitcher and 1st base), the years of playing and catching together are really showing! Plus, our team name is the Rangers, so how great is that.

Other than baseball, we still seem to work around the school schedule. That has been my biggest adjustment this year! Carter is 1 month away from Kindergarten round up and I am having a hard time thinking I will have an empty nest next year. Carter is ready and excited. He went for his 5 year check up for his birthday 2 months ago. He is telling everybody that the doctor said he was ready and signed him up already! Needless to say, he is excited!

Benjamin is loving school and looking forward to 1st grade. His goal for the entire year is to get all stars in his folder (in our school that means good behavior - no writing). He loves PE and time on the big playground, go figure! He complete the marathon kid event and received his T-shirt. It is amazing what kids will do for a T-shirt. He tries to wear his shirt weekly to show it off. If is hard to image summer around the corner. Our weeks and weekends are already getting planned. Our goal is to spend as much family time together as possible!

Carter's Christmas

2011-01-20T14:31:00.000-08:00

Carter is my Star Wars guru. He know every character and description about each one.
It took mom and Cartera long time to put together this Lego set - I think it had close to 900 pieces!

Unlce Brad hit the jackpot when he gave Cnug the box set.

He like Benjamin had to open this first because it was the largest present - a hot whell skull crasher racer!

Carter loves taking pictures, especially of himself. A friend made these shirts for the boys last year, it has a tie sewn on the t-shirt, way toooo cute. Carter loves his.
His teachers at school told him he was handsome wearing this shirt. He informed me that meant he was going to get married one day to a girl!. Don't know where that came from, but we will go with it!

Ben's Christmas

2011-01-20T14:23:00.000-08:00

The blizzard maker was given to both boys. We haven't tried it out yet, waiting for a warmer day!

Star Wars mania has hit our house. Ben got the AT/AT - didn't know what that was until Christmas!

If you are handing out gifts at Mum's house, you must be in costume!

He had to open this first because it was the largest gift, what is it? A 2-1 trainer (baseball, football toss back)

Acting so cooool at his class party (he really didn't want mom taking his picture)!

Christmas and New Year

2011-01-20T13:50:00.001-08:00

I wanted to put up Christmas pictures, I couldn't find them on my computer. I realized I hadn't downloaded them yet - oops! Just a little behind. Here are several pictures of the boys from Christmas events. We all went to Ben's Christmas party at school. Carter has a blast pretending to be a kinder student and participating in the activities. I dressed up and read to the students. We spent the whole 2 weeks traveling to visit family. We were extremely tired when we returned, but we were loving the time we had with everyone! The boys seem to enjoy "presents" more and more. It is so fun to watch them open every package. I will try and download more pics of them from Christmas Eve and morning!

Day 1 of Disney World

2010-10-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

On the safari ride, you are up close and personal with animals. I think Carter took this picture. On the second ride, I let him have the camera to snap shots of the animals. He is becoming a little photographer.
The boys went googey eyes when they saw her. I not going to even try to spell her name!

I love the place for character places. But you have to check the times, we almost never made it on time to get pictures. The boys could pick I character (all the time they had left before going in), they chose Bolt!

As you can see, Carter has NO fear, unlike the one on the right that wouldn't get any closer!

First day, first park - giddy smiles! The boys were matching shirts all days. A tip to those going - it was very easy to spot my children. Carter has his pins around his neck. My sister sent them pins to trade. They loved this, it was a fun side game we had to try and find really cool pins.

Ryan had a business meeting in Orlando the last week of September, so we decided that would be a good time to meet up with him and head to Disney. Now, I need to say this was our first Disney experience! Carter flew with Ryan earlier and spent time with his grandparents, Pops and Honey, while Ryan went to his conference. I must say, it is very different (not easier/not harder) with having just 1 child for 5 days. Benjamin and I few to Florida together to meet up with the rest of our family. We hit Animal Kingdom first, the boys favorite ride was the safari jeep ride. They loved looking at all the animals and riding along bumping around in the jeep. In fact, we did the ride twice. Ryan, his father, and I rode the Yheti (don't know if I spelled that correctly), but it is a scary (but quite fun) roller coaster. We also enjoyed the one of the water rides (the smart ones (Honey, myself, and the kids)) were smart and wore ponchos. The other 2 were wet all day! The boys did not like the 3-d movie "It's hard to be a bug," too many things jumped out and to much loud noises. After we spent a full day at Animal Kingdom, we checked into our hotel and went to Downtown Disney. D Disney is a neat boardwalk with places to eat and shops. Our favorite, of course, was Legoland.

We're Back in Business . . .

2010-10-12T11:14:00.001-07:00

Shopping for school supplies

Okay, so May 19th was several months ago. May flew by and then summer hit. We

had a wonderful summer. In fact, we didn't want it to end - that meant our precious Benjamin would be headed off to school. As much as I thought May blew by, before I knew it the middle of August hit, and school was around the corner. Our summer was filled with visiting family, a new baby (provided by my sweet sister, Robin), and a get away trip for Ryan and I. Above are back to school pictures . . . Carter is attending the preschool he went to last year. He is in the Tiger class this year, so far, he is loving it! It was very hard to be sad and miserable for Ben starting school because he was soooo excited! He literally floated into school every morning the first week of school. Even into the 8th week, we are still loving it! All I can say is that starting school has ROCKED our WORLD! We are up early, in line for drop off and pick up, homework, and into bed early! I will try my best to catch you up on the happenings the past few months - broken arm, trip to Disney, and all the fun Merriman adventures in between! Where Benjamin is my serious one, Carter still brings down the house. Something funny he said recently . . . We were driving in the car and I looked back to see him. He had his arms tucked behind his head smelling his armpit. I asked what he was doing. He replied, "I am smelling my armpits, they smell like treats." I asked, "What do you mean treats?" He said, "you know, like sweet treats. And I love it!" Okay!
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I know, I know!

2010-05-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

It has been a very long time since my last post. We are loving Austin and are enjoying our time here. It really feels like we have been here forever instead of almost 3 months. We had a great time over the Easter weekend visitng both sides of our family. It is very nice that it is a drive now, not a flight. The boys finish school tomorrow. Benjamin had kinder round up at the first of the month. My little shy boy has disappeared! He talked to everyone there. The highlight of his day was ordering his new school shirt! He will be a buffalo! He has a few friends from his preschool that will be going to school with him, hopefully he will have 1 in his class. Carter will continue next year at the same preschool. Carter still meets new friends everywhere, there are NO strangers to him. They are both in the middle of T-ball. We promised the boys if they can hit the ball over the fence they will get a surprise. Ben has come very close, I will keep you posted.

Update on Jackson - the donor's blood has taken over in his body, this means the transplant is successful. His number are doing great. Please continue to pray against rejection and infection, that is the biggest concern right now. Hopefully they can all 3 go back to their apartment next week as a family. They had a spot on the local Denver news this week talking about their journey and the importance of cord blood donation. If you want to see that clip, go to my facebook page or Jackson's caring bridge page. Please continue to pray for strength for Doug and Mel!

Here are a few pics from our trip to San Antonio. Ryan took a day off of work so we could take the kids to Sea World. I packed up snacks and off we went to find the gates closed. Park doesn't open during the week until next week - a true "Vacation" moment. So we went the day at the Riverwalk. I went on a girl's weekend last weekend and Ryan took the boys to Pedernales State Park.

House and more

2010-03-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

We had several visitors over Spring break. Robin and London came in to see us. We took the kids to Zilker park and rode the train. The kids had a great time playing together and running around. Afterwards they wanted to put their feet into the cold waters of Barton Springs. You should have seen their faces once they hit the very cold water.
The Paul's stopped by last Monday to visit. D found a Texas jersey for Ben, so he had to wear it that day to support the other longhorn fans that were with us. The boys had so much fun playing baseball in the backyard. I don't think anyone wanted them to leave - you must come back!

Pic of the trips - Doug, Rich, and Ryan - last weekend we went up to Dallas for a prayer service for JAckson. They leave this week for CO, they will have 2 weeks of testing before the bmt. Please continue to pray for them!

We ride our bikes daily. We have a park 3 blocks away, so it is very good excerise for the boys to ride their bikes to the park. We did have to bribe them to ride their bikes, but now that they are pros on them, incentives aren't needed - sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do (yes honey, that is J-town talk).

Our new house - not the best picture, but I was taking it at night. Hopefully the next picture we will a lot better with pretty colorful flowers in the front. I love our new house. Last week, Ryan and I took down the wallpaper in the kitchen. When he was out of town, I textured the walls. We are hoping to paint it this coming week. Very slowly we are making the house ours. We have already found a church - Westover Hills. It is a fairly large church, but somehow they make it feel small. We have enjoyed the two Sundays that we have been. The children LOVE children's church; Ryan and I both attended bible studies which we enjoyed.

Starting Over

2010-03-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

No pictures, just a long overdue update on the past month. Yes, it has been over a month since my last post, but I have a very good excuse! There is lots of information to catch you up on, and hopefully I will not wait a month for my next post, so hear it goes. . .

The move and snow
We did it, we moved back down to Texas. We started out the first week of February with the movers coming and hauling our stuff away. Our items were stored in Austin while we lived with family and friends out of our suitcases for 3 weeks. A HUGE thank you to everyone that opened their home to us. Ryan worked all over Texas, and the boys and I enjoyed time with family and friends. The snow and cold weather followed us to Texas. We had packed 1 suitcase with all shorts and short sleeve shirts for the warm Texas weather we were anticipating, needless to say we didn't need it. The day we closed on our house in Austin 2/23, it snowed. Ryan and I painted 2 rooms - dining room and bedroom and then prepared for the movers. No major damages or problems with with movers - and then the fun began - UNPACKING! Thanks to my sweet mother who came down to help unpack/watch the boys. I think we set a record of unpacking, by Tuesday all boxes were unpacked - yea! The boys started a new preschool last week, they go on Tuesday/Thursday and are enjoying it. We have a park near the house, so we try to go everyday and play outside. We have had wonderful weather, so we are loving being outside. One of my favorite parts about moving to a new area is investigating the grocery stores. I have a secret passion for grocery shopping. I do have to say, I LOVE H-E-B! We have almost overdosed on mexican food, so now we are getting our feel of bbq down here. That sums up the move . . .

Jenny
Most of you know/are friends with Jenny, or you heard about her through my facebook or word of mouth. Thank you so much for your prayers and support throughout her fight. I always thought about Jenny as the "Jesus girl", she was strong in her faith and loved the Lord more than life. She said the most beautiful prayers. I always loved it at bible study when it was her turn to pray. She had such sweet words and a tender voice to heal your pain. Her death was very difficult. 2 days after she died I was unpacking my kitchen, I unpacked a pot holder that was hers. The last time she brought dinner to our house for small group, she left it. For over 2 years I tried to get it back to her until we decided I could just keep it. Now every time I use it I think of her and say a quick prayer. She was a woman of God that believed in the power of prayer. Please continue to pray for her family. Her funeral was one of the hardest most wonderful things I have ever been through. One of her brothers (a music minister) lead worship, for over 20 minutes we worshiped God through singing praises and the other brother (a minister) did an excellent job with the service. Jenny wanted her life to be a God driven life, her funeral represented that. It was hard to say goodbye to such a sweet "Jesus girl".

Jackson
Our sweet nephew is about to start his bone marrow transplant. We will be traveling to Dallas next weekend for a prayer/support meeting for him, Doug, and Mel. They will leave the following week for CO. They will go through testing before the procedure will start around the first of March. Please, please add Jackson to your prayer list, this will be a difficult procedure on him. Please pray it will be successful and in time he can be NEMO free. Please keep Doug and Melissa in your prayers. This will be very hard on them, please pray that this will continue to strengthen their relationship as husband and wife and parents. They are amazing people with a big hearts!

That should catch you up on us . . . I will try and upload pictures of the house and boys this week!

Moving week

2010-02-03T06:56:00.000-08:00

Sorry no pictures, at this point everything is packed. It is hard to believe, but also exciting to see our "stuff" packed ready to go. I can say my emotions this year are different than moving up here. I remember when all the boxes were out of our last house. I just walked around it empty house and cried, thinking our lives as we know it are about to change. Ryan was in Chicago already and the boys were at friends. I don't think tears will flow this year, but I can say there are thing about this move that are sad. BUT, we are excited to be heading back to Texas - family and the SUN! Except - my mother already called to say it would be very cold and rainy there - YIKES, why does the cold follow us? Update on our living - we have bought a house in South Austin, and no we have not sold our house here. Please continue to pray for someone to love our sweet house and snap it up. If not, March 1, we can take a buy out from Ryan's company. There is an end in sight, but it would be much better for us to sell the house ourselves! We will not close on our new home until the end of February, so once again we will be traveling the state staying with family while Ryan works in Austin.

Pictures

2010-01-27T18:51:00.001-08:00

Horrible picture I know, who wants a picture of me with my mouth wide open. Well if you hadn't had BBQ in over 15 months you would be like this too. I think all we will eat when we hit Austin in BBQ and Tex-Mex. When Ryan and I went house hunting, we ate at IWB (Ironworks BBQ). I made Ryan take this picture because I was so excited to be coming back!
This is Jackson. Most of you know him and have been praying for him. Doesn't he look great? Please continue to pray for Doug, Mel, and Jackson. He is scheduled for his bone marrow transplat the end of February if RSV is under control in the Denver hospital. The three of them will head to Denver for 6 months for his treatment.

Like I said before, we had such a great time at Christmas with family. The boys loved everything about the holidays. They were so fun to buy for this year. Does it keep getter better? Ben is into everything sports and Carter is loving superheroes, especially Batman!

This is Christmas Eve, if you can't see the snow if coming in sideways. It was like that all day. It snowed 8 inches in Jacksboro, I don't ever remember that much snow! We thought we were coming to Texas for a snow BREAK! Every year on Christmas eve, Santa goes through the town handing out stockings. This year we had to chase him down, the kids were excited to get back in the warm car after this picture.

Oh where, Oh where?

2010-01-18T17:51:00.000-08:00

Oh where, oh where have the Merriman's been? That is the question I ask myself about the past month. We had a wonderful Christmas in Texas with both families. We spent the month traveling around the state - looking for houses and living out of our suitcases! We made the long way back celebrating that it was our last trip across country! We have had several lookers on our house, but so far no takers. Please pray that someone will snap our house up! It would be a huge relief for us! Ryan is house hunting for us this week in Austin, hopefully he will find something for us; we haven't found anything yet! For the next 3 weeks, Ryan is flying down to work during the week and flying back here to us on the weekend. I will try and upload pictures from the holiday season, the boys had a blast!

Bulls, Snow, and Sledding

2009-12-13T13:26:00.000-08:00

One thing that the boys LOVE to do when there is snow is to go sledding. We have a great hill by our house. On the weekends when there is snow, the kids in the neighborhood all go there for fun. You should hear the laughing as they go flying down the hill.

We went to the bulls game on Friday. The game went into overtime with the bulls winning! The boys had such a great time. They were into the game yelling and singing the songs. Everyone around us would crack up laughing when Carter would get up and dance!

The boys have spent the last couple of days playing out in the snow. Ben has his wish of not moving to Austin until after the snow. We had a snowball fight and tried to build a snowman, but the snow was like powder and didn't stick together. We are excited that the temperature is back up in the 20's and 30's. We had a day when it was 3 degrees, know that's cold folks! We said we were actually glad it warmed up to the 20s. Even though it is cold, I am trying to enjoy this weather. Hopefully I will never have to experience it again. I am looking forward to packing up the snow gear!

Update & Pictures

2009-11-25T19:24:00.000-08:00

Carter loves taking pictures. This is his picture of his feet!

We have been busy getting ready to put our house on the market and getting/keeping it clean. We spent last weekend in Chicago enjoying the sites and watched the Miracle mile parade with 800,000 other people. We went swimming in the indoor pool after the parade. Word to the wise, never let your children drink a extra full cup of chocolate milk before the start jumping in the pool. After 10 minutes both boys managed to clear out the 15 people in the pool by throwing up IN THE POOL, yes, I said both of them! On a lighter note, Ryan and I also celebreated 7 years of marriage. He was so sweet to come home with flowers. He also left his wedding ring in his swim shorts in the HOTEL! Well, it only took 7 years to lose it!

Pictures and update!

2009-11-15T15:09:00.000-08:00

The boys received these Tech stickers and went crazy! We had to get our "gear" on and play football in the basement.

Last weekend we went into the city for the cruise tour on the river. We had great weather and the boys enjoyed the boat ride. We learned so much about the city, I suggest it if you are ever visiting the windy city. After the cruise we had dinner at Navy Pier to end a wonderful family day. We have been busy getting the house ready to put on the market. Hopefully it will go up soon, please cross your fingers that it sells fast!

True to his word!

2009-11-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

When Ryan accepted the job to move up here to the Chicagoland, he promised me it would only be 12-18 months. I agreed thinking that was true. After several months of being up here, he was informed that it would be more like 3-5 years. I was a big girl and said "okay" I can handle the cold weather for 5 years! Well, true to my sweet husband's word, we will only be here about 14-15 months. Yes, you are hearing me. Today Ryan accepted a job with Kellogg's in Austin, TX. We are moving back home, YEA!!! It seems so good I almost can't believe it is real. Its not that I don't like it here. This is a wonderful place to live with great people, it is just REALLY cold. I am excited to move back to the warm weather and much, much closer to friends and family. Plus, I was born in Austin, so it is special to be headed back there! Please pray that our house sells very fast! Ryan starts his new position after the new year! We will keep you posted. . .

Halloween pics 2009

2009-11-05T13:12:00.001-08:00

We had a blast trick or treating in our neighborhood. It was fun watching the boys RUN from house to house. Benjamin ate candy the entire way (while running; hey, he needed energy). When we got home Carter had twice as much candy in his bag, too funny! The boys also enjoyed handing out candy. Carter really liked the girls and have them 2-3x more candy than the boys. When we told them to let the kids pick out the candy, they were great at reminding to only get 2 pieces. I have to say these Northerns know how to celebrate Halloween. I have never seen so many decorations and trick or treat events. Every shopping center had a trick or treat time with actvities for the kids. Did I mention they t-or-t here in the afternoon? I really liked doing is in the day! Each of the boys' school had a Halloween party - and they both attend separate church schools.

1 Year . . . Can you believe it?

2009-11-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

Today, 1 year ago, we closed on our house here in Wheaton and started the next adventure in our lives. Wow, has it really been a year? In some case, I say it seems longer than 1 year, and then in other ways, it has flown by so fast. Here is a review of our lives this past year. Our boxes were delivered on November 4th (Tuesday), also known as election day. Word to the wise, never move on election day if you actually want to watch the election - TV is not hooked up on day of delivery. The weather didn't bad here until the middle of January. All I can say, I have never been more cold than when it hit -26 degrees, folks that's cold. Snow stayed on the ground for 6 weeks, you didn't see anything but white everywhere. It was bitter cold outside. The cold stayed around until April. I have to say, January thru March seemed to last a LOOOOONG time. It gets dark around 5:15 and the sun comes up at 5:30 in the morning. That means that during this time, the boys get up by 6:30 - YUCK! They would burn off energy by running around the house, I don't recommend this, but we were needing something! April started with promises from other people that it would warm up. Well, it did a little and then the rain started to come down. The only thing I remember about part of April and May was lots of rain, I mean LOTS of rain. Everyone told us it was the coldest winter and wettest spring they have had in awhile. Thanks, but it doesn't help us get used to it! We left for Texas for 3 weeks in June and when we got back, we had a little warm weather. I remember a man telling me it was going to be a really hot day - it was 90 degrees, only 3 days in the summer got over 90. The rest of the summer was really pleasant outside. We rode bikes daily and played outside all day long. The fall hit very quickly and the jackets came back out. I have to say, I am really not looking forward to the cold weather yet, I don't think I have thawed out from last winter.

In some ways this has been the best experience for me and our family. I stayed home with the boys which is something I wouldn't have done before the move. Getting to experience this time with the boys has been challenging but awesome! Staying home with children is the hardest job EVER! I didn't realize this until I did it. We love our neighborhood and have met friends in it with children the boys age. We plugged into a new church. This fall I started a ladies bible study, another thing I would never have done before. I feel the Lord has stretched me this year with patience, reaching out to others, and being okay at being alone. I have had the hardship of miscarrying a baby and then the long months of getting over it, and we have met wonderful people here that will be friends forever. In some ways this has been the best year with more time with my boys (2little, 1 big) and in some ways in has been the hardest year.

Pictures

2009-10-24T16:50:00.001-07:00

The boys LOVE getting ready for Halloween. We decorated our pumpkins this past week. The boys had a great time making their pumpkins into a clown and vampire. We carved 1 pumpkin as a family, the boys didn't last long with that!
These Mr. Potato Heads are the best way for kids to decorate! I bought them half off several years ago, and we reuse them each year!

Picking out our halloween costumes, it took us 4 stores to find just what we wanted. Carter will be superman and Ben will be ironman. We have finally hit the superhero era!

My mother, sister, and niece came to visit last weekend. The weather was not very friendly to them, but that didn't keep us down! We took them to eat deep dish pizza, we took the train to the city and went to the Shedd, went to the French market and library, and they even tried a Chicago hot dog! We were all every sad when we had to take them back to the airport!

Ben's 5th Birthday

2009-10-10T17:24:00.001-07:00

Can't belive my little man turned 5! He is getting so big and tall. Benjamin is such a sweet boy. I love the fact he is so active, always ready to go. He loves going to school, learning, and showing us his school work! For his birthday, he chose to go to Chuck E Cheese for dinner (one of the boys favorite places to go!) We had a great time together as family! Above Benjamin in his Bears jersey, he has been asking for it since Carter got one in February.
Couldn't resist this funny picture of Carter playing a game. He is soooo serious about it.

Ben with his football helmets. They now have landed a role on the coffee table because there is always a game going on between two teams. (The are the Big 12 schools if you are questioning.)

Our sweet friends in Texas gave Benjamin Target gift cards so he could pick out his gift here instead of trying to fly back with something. Benjamin has said he wanted a skateboard for sometime now. I have been trying to talk him into a Razor (one with a handle), but oh no, he wanted a true skateboard to use on the stairs IN our house. I very quickly had to let him know you don't got down the stairs you just jump them! He decided to avoid the stairs altogether - YEA! So this picture above is of him after purchasing the skateboard. Carter had to get in there too for this big purchase.

Again at the check out line very excited about buying a skateboard!

Yes, we then went to the skateboard park. We took Carter's bike for him, and for about 30 minutes the boys had a blast "Playing" with the skateboard. I don't think Ben ever had both feet on the board. It was mainly one foot on and one foot off scooting. They also enjoyed laying on it and pushing around with their hands. After about 30 minutes, 3 teenagers came to skate so we moved and watched them. They were very nice to the boys showing them tricks (Thanks guys, we are only 5). They also encouraged the boys to skate. We haven't been back to the skate park due to the massive downpour of rain here. I will try and take pictures next time we go, pretty funny!

Back Home Again

2009-10-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

We got back today from 1 1/2 in Texas visiting family and friends. We did so much in a little time, I will have to blog separately about each event. We started out with my parents, and then went to stay with friends over the first weekend, went to the State Fair of Texas, I got to leave the boys and visit my old co-workers, attended my 15th high school reunion and homecoming, Ben's birthday party with family and friends, and the we ended our trip at the Great Wolf Lodge. I have lots of pictures of each event. These pictures today are just the boys we friends and family! We got back to home with cooler weather and a fun week planned!
The boys with Zane and Brittany. I do not know why the boys always take their shirts off when they are around Zane. We had a great time visiting with them, wished it was longer!

Boys with Uncle Kyle - Uncle Kyle couldn't go to the state fair with us as planned, so he came to the hotel early to see and play with us.

Carter, Parker, Benjamin, and Emaline before church on Sunday.

I thought this was the sweetest picture. I took this at Ryan's birthday dinner.

Go Cubs Go!

2009-09-17T06:04:00.001-07:00

We started out having a wonderful Monday. Ryan's brother and his family were coming to visit. Doug, Mel, and Jackson rolled in around 5 on Monday evening, and our adventure began. We had such a great time playing with Jackson (and Doug and Mel). Tuesday night Ben woke up with fever, so Wednesday morning they had to leave. We were bummed but understood Jackson couldn't be around Ben since he had a fever! At least we got to spend a little time with them, it is something we will always treasure! So Wednesday we were having a low moment, so I decided to kick us into gear and found Cubs tickets. HAving lived up here almost 1 year, the boys have never been to a Cubs game. We wished Doug and Mel could still be with us, but the Cubs game came within a close second of them. The Cubs didn't win, but we had a great time. Or at least I can say, the boys settled down in the 3rd inning when they got cotton candy and popcorn. This is a great way to celebrate Ryan's birthday! We will celebrate his real birthday today with deep dish pizza, presents, and cake! Ryan wanted a Tres Leche cake, it is my first time to make it, so I will let you know how it turns out! Thank you Doug and Mel for driving across country to see us, we love you to pieces!

Boys looking up to the upper deck to see the people. We had great seats. There were lots of balls that came our direction.

Yes, anytime we go to a baseball game, we were full uniform. Both boys wore uniform head to toe!

It was worth the long walk to the field to see the boys face light up when they saw Wrigley Field. They couldn't get over the bright lights and people. We didn't get to sing the Cubs song. They lost, plus we didn't stay until the very end.

Pictures

2009-09-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics. We have family in town and are loving it. I will try and post later with fam pictures. We are experiencing a little heat up here, low 80's. We are even having to turn our air conditioner!

B&C Cutting Services

2009-09-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

Carter loves fishing, he is holding a holding a rubber worm. If you are looking at the worm, you are not checking out Carter's hair. He took it upon himself to "scalp" his hair. The boys were downstair cleaning their playroom when I hear Ben say, "Mom Carter has the scissors and he is cutting his own hair." I am sure many of you have had this experience. It is funny when it is not your child, so go ahead and laugh. I probably laughed at your children when they did this.

I do not understand how he got so close to his head. I do not have the after shots. But shortly after Daddy got home, we took it down shorter (not as short as what Carter did).

Ben's first day of school. He had to wear his Cubs shirt with the new shorts London sent him. He is getting so big. When I picked him up, he informed me he LOVED school!

Okay the picture below is not appropriate, but very funny. I assumed that I only had adult readers, so I couldn't pass it up. I was taking Ben to school and passed by the pizza place on Main St. This was the sign out in front. Needless to say it only last several hours before it was changed and placed elsewhere! I had a good laugh! I had my camera with me and couldn't resist to snap it. I knew my husband would get a laugh out of it.

School, Zoo, Bike and more!

2009-09-03T18:38:00.001-07:00

Tuesday was Carter first day of school for this year. He is attending the Mother's Day out on Tuesdays. I think he was really excited to go back. I also think he enjoyed going by himself. No tears shed, he ran over to the toys and waved bye! Ben and I had a great day spending time together, I even think he missed his brother - A LOT!
I took this picture when I picked Carter up!

We finally made it to Brookfield Zoo. If you know us, you know we LOVE going to the zoo. We went with friends and had a great time. How is it compared to the Ft. Worth Zoo - Brookfield is spread out (has a lot more land), it also has many play area that are shaded, different animals (camel, polar bars, etc.). I think FW actually has more animals, the reptile area is definitely bigger (since my kids LOVE snakes, I have to go into it and cringe when I see a snake - only 4 at Brookfield). There was a dinosaur exhibit going on, so the boys were in heaven. We are looking forward to going back, and we still need to hit Lincoln Park Zoo!

This is the boys bike trailer that I haul behind my bike! Talk about a workout, they are heavy! Since the boys and I go during the day, I thought it would be easier to keep it on my bike instead of moving it back and forth from Ryan's bike!

This is the whole set up, check my new bike! Since the weather never gets hot here, we can ride anytime during the day. It is great to get up and ride to a park - I enjoy the break too! We have great trails here that make it easy to get anywhere!

Table Rock Lake

2009-08-21T17:06:00.001-07:00

Where has August gone? I can't believe it has been almost 3 weeks since my last post. I know some of you are not shocked. This has been a hard summer to document. The first weekend in August we went to Table Rock Lake with one of Ryan's brother's family. We rented a house for a long weekend and spent several day on the water. The kids had a blast swimming, tubing, fishing, and playing together. They keep asking when we are going back to the lake.

I hate to whine about the weather we are having here, but it is the middle of August and I had to have a light jacket when I went outside this evening. Come on, send some heat to us! I know I should not complain, but if I am going to get through the freezing cold winter here, I need a little heat to keep me toasty! We have had cold rainy weather most of the week! The boys do not start preschool for 2 more weeks, so we are still enjoying lots of time together. Our new family outings include going on bike rides. Ryan gave me a bike for my birthday and we found a kid's bike trailer on Craig's list, so off we go on the bike trails. The kids and I are enjoying getting out and exploring! I will try and take a picture of bike gear to share with you!

August Already?

2009-08-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

Here are several pictures from our trip. I will try to upload more. Ryan took this picture underwater at the Blue Lagoon off of the island of Malta. Malta was one of our stops, our group rented a private charter that took us on a sail 1 1/2 hours each way to the Blue Lagoon. I could not believe the color of the water. I have never seen water so beautiful, it was breath-taking. This jellyfish was out in the water with Brad and Ryan. I was inside the boat at this point. The water was a little chilly.

On our sail coming into the Blue Lagoon. You can see the water changing color. Inside the lagoon, the water color is the lighter.

This is a church on the island called Palma de Mallorca. The church overlooked the ocean. It was incredible too. The stop was not that great because Robin and I went on a bike tour. The town was great, small curvy road, old buildings to look at. The problem was the 45 people on our bike tour - not fun!

Barcelona - Ryan and I went on a bike tour through Barcelona. This is an awesome place that I want to go back. We had a great time going through the city.

We are in Africa! Our stop was Tunis, Tanasia. This is Carthage, Roman ruins. As you can see it also looks over the ocean. I just want to say that it was HOT here. At one point is was 115 degrees, that beats any Texas heat I have experienced! We were taken through a market. You would think the prices would be pretty cheap, quite different, everything was expensive. I didn't try to deal, I was too HOT (just didn't buy)!
Just a few pictures from the trip, I will try to put more up later. We spent an extra night in Rome, so I have great shots of St. Peters!

By the way, can you believe it is already August? Time seems to be flying this summer.

I know, I know!

2009-07-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

Ben hitting the ball during his last. They allowed the kids 3 pictches before they had to use the tee. Ben hit it everytime (out to the grass).
All my boys on Father's Day, I got these shirts as a surprise for their daddy. They wore them to church and were so proud!

Carter doing the hokey pokey during a break at the Kane County Cougar game.

We are still here! I have been lacking on my blogging this summer. Sorry to the family and (few) readers that keep up with us. We just got back from our vacation: Ryan and I went to Europe and the boys went to Missouri! Ryan and I had a great time, and the boys had a blast with cousins! I will post about our trip later. Here are a few pictures of the boys incase you miss seeing them! I will try and do a better job about posting.

Great Wolf Pictures

2009-07-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

Texas Pictures

2009-07-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

Picture Update

2009-05-26T18:40:00.001-07:00

These are several pictures from the last month. I haven't been good this month of keeping up with our activities. I don't know how I will be the next couple of weeks because the boys and I are headed back to TEXAS!!! We leave at the end of the week for 3 weeks, yea! I will try and post pictures of our trip so daddy can keep up with us. Ben asked Ryan why he couldn't come back with us, I said because he needed to stay and make money so that we could travel. Ben corrected me and said, "No, he needs to stay and keep guard of the house." Well that too! Anyway, we will miss daddy, but we will LOVE to see our family and friends! Thanks goodness we are leaving because it is supposed to rain here the next week, YUCK! No one told me that is rained so much here! Most of these pictures were taken when Ryan's parents were visiting us. We made a trip to the Field Museum and the Shedd. Ben is still enjoying T-ball, at least the games and practices that don't get rained out! More to come in the Texas heat!

update

2009-05-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been awhile since my last update. We have been spending lots of time outside playing. We are finally having great weather, actually warm and sunny, YEA! Ben is doing such a great job on his T-ball team, he is really enjoying his new team. Carter is loving going to the games and playing with the other brothers. But above all we love playing baseball in the backyard together as a family.

You can't fool me!

2009-04-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

No pictures, just a quick story about the boys. Today we went as a family to see the movie "Earth". It was interesting, but a little slow at times. The boys did okay during it, but wanted a little more action. It was gory at all, very well done! Anyway, the funny part - during the movie it shows the hunt for several kills (no blood, just chasing). The first one was a wolf and something that looked like a deer, we just said they were playing chase, okay! Next hunt later on in the movie was a cheetah and another deer like movie. Okay, a little more detailed this time. As the cheetah is gripping the animal in his mouth, I tell Carter, "They are just playing chase again. I think he tagged him." Carter looks up to me and says, "No, mommy he is eating him." And then proceeds to growl loud. Okay, maybe I don't need to sugar coat for you anymore. In one scene a huge shark jumps out of the water and eats a seal. Carter would be the only on in the theater that is standing up clapping loud saying, "Way to go Brucey" (the name of his stuffed shark at home). As we are leaving we ask the boys which animals they like the best in the movie. Benjamin answer: all the nice animals, Carter answer: shark and the lion, well that sums it up for us!

T-ball, Children's Museum, & Globetrotters

2009-04-25T18:54:00.001-07:00

Ben started T-ball today. His team is called the Bees. (Wondering why is hat says NY - the Bees are a minor league team for the New York Mets, also why they are orange and blue instead of yellow like Bees) He was excited to find out he was #10 again! He did a great job hitting and catching. He was so excited, he woke up at 6:10 this moring and asked if he could put on his uniform. Luckily, he went back to sleep.

We went with friends to the Chicago Children's Museum on Thursday. The boys had a blast. There were so many activities for the kids to do. They loved the dinosaur room where they could dig for bones. The also had fun putting on raincoats and playing in the water room, I think they liked getting the parents wet the most. There was a little town where the kids were able to pretend play of pumping gas, driving or riding on a bus, cooking, grocery shopping, and building things - it was too cool. This was a great hands-on museum for the boys, they want to go back soon!

The Monday we got back for our quick Easter trip, we went to the Harlem Globetrotters' game. I had never been, they are quite entertaining. The boys enjoyed the game, they also loved being in arena where the Bulls play.

Easter Egg Hunting

2009-04-14T17:13:00.001-07:00

Easter egg hunt in Quail Park with friends at Mum's house.

Aunt T brought mask to play with, Carter loved the Batman mask. I know this looks like Carter is elbowing Jackson, but I don't think anyone was hurt making this shot!

Easter in Texas

2009-04-14T05:56:00.000-07:00

Our sweet family on Easter morning before church. I always wonder, when is the best time to take pictures? Before church is always crazy and the kids are still looking in their baskets, and after church is exhausting (plus the clothes are wrinkled and in our case dirty now).
Ben didn't like posing in the family picture, but he was all smiles for his solo shot!

Carter on Easter morning, he did not want to let go of his Easter basket!

Carter looks sad here, but really he was scoping out the eggs. This was taken at the town's Easter egg hunt. As soon as they said go, Carter took off and grab lots of eggs. Ben was a little more thoughtful when it came to picking up his eggs.

Easter egg hunt at the Merriman's, all of the Texas cousins - Vaughn, Dylan, Jackson, Benjamin, Carter, and Ashlee. B & C had such a great time playing with their cousins this past weekend.

As you can see from the pictures, we made a very quick trip back to Texas for Easter. Thank you to our sweet families that picked us up from the airport 3 hours late and drove us around. We miss you guys, and we enjoyed our time with you. We were so glad to get to spend time with Jackson. We got to see him walk, run, and play with the other cousins. It had been 3 1/2 months since we saw him last.

Do you let your kids eat candy? That is a very stange question, but our kids rarely eat candy. In fact, if I have any at the house, it is hidden and out of sight. I am saying this because when my kids get around candy(mainly holidays), they go crazy. Carter ate so much candy on Saturday, he made himself sick. We took his basket away from him and somehow he found more candy. It was the family joke about how much the boys love candy.

More Florida Pics

2009-04-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

Florida Pics

2009-04-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

Still here with snow and rain!

2009-03-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

Carter sitting in the cockpit of the plain. The pilot took the picture on his phone and sent it to Ryan. They let Carter push buttons and speak into the intercom (before the plane took off of course).

Sorry it has been awhile since my last blog. We spent a long weekend in Florida with Ryan's parents. I can't upload my pictures yet, so they will be up soon. We went to Sea World, spent a day at the beach, and went to a baseball game! We ENJOYED the warm weather. Now back a week, we have had snow and are set for rain most this week. YUCK! They tell us this will not be the last snow for us - more YUCK. I will try and work on the pictures and more stories.

Quick Update

2009-03-13T06:26:00.001-07:00

It has been very cold the past few days, so we are getting a little stir crazy indoors. Luckily this weekend it is supposed to warm up a little, so we should be able to spend time outside. We are hoping to go into the city on Saturday for the St. Patrick's Day parade. I guess I didn't realize how much this holiday is celebrated, or maybe this area celebrates everything! We are excited about visiting Ryan's parent in Florida next week. Finally some decent warm weather, we will not know what to do if we are not wearing our jackets. People up here tell us that March is the worst month because you expect and want it to start warming up, but it still stays pretty cool. The boys have such a great personality these days. They still love to dress up in old Halloween costumes. They have such an imagination, it is so funny to hear them talk and pretend play.

Outings, Fun and More

2009-03-05T18:21:00.001-08:00

Don't worry we are just your friendly neighborhood Spiderman and Lion out for ice cream! Tonight when Ryan got home from his meetings, we (mainly I) talked him in to taking us for ice cream. The boys had been in costumes all day, so of course they wanted to wear them out too.
Benjamin loved being his lion costume, he would look around the place to see if the 3 people in the store noticed he was in costume.

The middle picture I took before "sports" class today. This weeks sport was T-ball, so of course we had the gear for that. Each boy got to pick their favorite jersey to wear to class with baseball pants. The boys had to take this picture first (a silly picture) before they would let me take a serious picture - I will try and upload those tomorrow.

Napping - I think not!

2009-03-03T19:02:00.001-08:00

The above pictures of Carter were taken after his nap. Or the fact that he should have been napping instead of finding a marker on the top of his dresser and coloring his face, legs, and bed - YIKES! I scrubbed him down in the tub, but he will be blue and green for awhile until it all wears off. I was afraid to get the soap too close to his eyes! The boys had a great day at Mother's Day out today, good reports on both, yea! I enjoyed spending some alone time at the house today too. Keep your fingers crossed we are supposed to have forty degree weather the next couple of days. It will be the warmest it has been in 4 1/2 months!

Life Lessons

2009-02-26T12:56:00.000-08:00

Poor little Benjamin, he has a hard time learning those simple life lessons. We went to McDonald's today for our normal Thursday routine, the boys love the Mickey's Ds by our house because it has a basketball goal in it. Benjamin has a very sweet side to him, and sometimes because of that sweetness, bigger (older) kids pick on him. Remember 2 years ago when he was "pants -ed" at Chick-fi-la, well today another lesson. Benjamin was playing basketball and 2 older kids came and took his basketball right out of his hands. I didn't see it, but I did get the end results of a crying boy. I wanted to teach my sweet little boy how to be nice but still take up for himself. So here is my advice - "Did it hurt your feelings when the boys took the basketball away from you?" = "yes", "Well remember how you felt and you shouldn't ever do that to anybody else because you don't want to hurt someone feelings." - "Okay" "BUT next time bigger kids try to take something away from you, you yell "NO" very loud and take it back." Don't know if that was the best advice, but I said it. Carter on the other hand, never worry about him. In fact, when I told my mother this story, she asked, "Where was Carter, he didn't handle it?" Laughing I said no, he was on the other side of them room. Carter is usually the one looking out for big brother, he doesn't mind taking on the world especially if he is defending his brother.

Funny Pictures

2009-02-25T15:33:00.001-08:00

The boys are in dress up mode lately. They want their blankets around their neck for a "cape". They are going around the house as Batman I and II. Carter loves acting silly for the camera. In the last picture he wanted his foot in the picture, go figure. Oh and mom, don't worry the underwear were clean.

In the Forties and never felt better!

2009-02-25T15:16:00.001-08:00

It is February and we have had 40 degree weather today! This is a miracle for this part of the world. The 2 above pictures are today. The top three are from this past weekend. When we are able to get outside with a little colder temp. We try and take advantage of the "warm" weather when we can. Outside play is rare opportunity for us. The boys are enjoying playing inside. One good thing about inside play is that most to all the toys get used everyday.

More pictures!

2009-02-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

London, it is hard to believe she is in school now. We don't get to see her as much now, and we miss her! I call her my sweet red hair angel! I love it because every now and then (and I mean very little) she gives a sweet little pouty lip that reminds me so much of myself. I knew she had some of her GeGe in her, that's my baby!
3 cousins after church at Mum's

Carter wanted this picture posted because he loves basketball! Zane and Carter at his party. Carter keeps asking to see his basketball pictures over and over again. The boys start a basketball class next week at the Y. We are all looking forward to that class. The boys can't wait, they keep talking about what uniform they will wear. They keep the wrist bands close. I will try and get a picture before class.

Carter before his first day of school (Mother's Day out) - 2 weeks away! He was really proud of his lunch box, I think he is more excited about what was in there - juice and chips (which he really gets).

Benjamin's picture - he picked out his outfit. He wanted to wear is aggie jersey for the first day, grandad is very proud! Ben is my little sweetie! The teacher bragged about his manners, especially at lunchtime around the table!

Family Pictures

2009-02-15T13:38:00.001-08:00

Here are more family pictures from our weekend in Texas. This is Vaughn enjoying ice cream. She is the sweetest little girl ever and so adorable. Her and Carter are big buddies. I am looking forward to all the girl activities we can do when she is bigger. Since I am the only girl in my family, I am going to have enjoy those times with my sweet nieces!
Ben, London, and Carter

Uncle Rich, Uncle Eric, Wesley, and Dylan playing games at CEC.

Kate, Uncle Kyle, and Aunt Robin at the party

My sweet little travelers, this was early on Thursday morning leaving Chicago. They were such troopers on the airplane.

Where does the time go?

2009-02-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Carter's 3rd birthday over the weekend back in Texas. We had such a great time (very quick) visiting family and a few friends. I don't know why 3 is the magic number for really getting the "birthday party". Carter talked about his party for weeks, he had such a great time with everyone. Each year when another birthday hits, I wondered how did we get here so fast. I know some days tick by very slow, but when I look back, I can't believe it has already been 1 year. Lots of things have happened and Carter has grown in so many ways.
We ordered his "football" cake back in January before we left. He asked for over a month when he was getting his football cake. He was so proud of it. He even put the candles in it by himself.

Zane is his buddy. A big "thanks" to Zaney for taking C around and playing games with him. Zane and Brittany were good friends of ours back in TC. Carter goes for Zane and Ben goes for Brittany.

Uncle Doug and Carter. Uncle Doug is a very hands on uncle, he plays with all the nieces and nephews whenever he is with them. Uncle Doug took the first shift with Carter at Chuck E Cheese. Jackson wasn't able to make the party, so Uncle Doug came in his place.

On Wednesday night before the boys and I flew to Texas, we went to eat pizza, yum! Carter opened his gifts from us. Benjamin gave him his Chicago Bears jersey and Ryan and I gave him a magnetic book. He was excited to get both!

Sweet information about Carter

1. He is very loveable. He loves to be held tight. He will kiss you for no reason!

2. He loves to laugh! Especially if other people (mainly Ben) join in and laugh too.

3. He loves reading books.

4. He loves playing with Ben, but he also enjoys playing by himself. He is okay being alone.

5. He loves animals, and he loves to lick and kiss these strange animals!

Weekend Fun!

2009-02-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

Boys taking cover while daddy is building the base for the snowman and throwing snowballs at them.
Boys walking out in front yard to play.

Our finished product. Thanks to E & R for the snowman kit. We had such a blast making the snowman. This was the first day is was actually up in thirties so we could spend some time outside in the snow.

Carter playing in the snow. Ben said he didn't want in the picture, but as you can see he is sneaking around to get in the pic.

Carter posing with his Frosty.

After exploring some of the area on Saturday morning, we spent the afternoon playing outside. It is amazing that we get so excited when the temperature is in the 30s. It was great weather to play outside. After building a snowman and throwing snowballs at each other, we went to the hill by our house to go sledding. It is tons of fun watching the boys sled down the small hill. They have such a blast. As you can tell from the pictures, we are still covered in snow. This is actually the snow that landed the weekend we got back from Texas (about 4 weeks ago). There is just no place for it to go, crazy!

Sledding Fun!

2009-02-02T18:30:00.000-08:00

Saturday Adventure

2009-01-26T13:39:00.000-08:00

What do you do when it is 10 degrees outside in Illinois? You go see the dog sled teams and spend the morning ice skating on the local pond that is frozen. Carter loves dogs! At the exhibit, they had dogs you could pet and even adopt. Carter managed to kiss and lick every dog there (and they did the same to him), and luckily we didn't leave with a dog. The boys keep asking when we can get a dog, I finally have a good answer - when we move from the snow, ice, and freezing weather!
When the ponds are safe to skate on, a green flag is posted. I have to admit, I was really nervous about getting on the pond. But once you are on there and can see that it is frozen several feet, there are no worries. The boys did okay for their first time skating. It was very, very cold, so neither one of them seem to enjoy it when the cold did finally set in. Carter did have a blast walking around on the pond while I chased him.

We do have a couple of cold days this week, but I am hoping we will get up into the 20s soon. We had a heat wave last week when Thursday and Friday we were in the 30s.

Temperature Rising!

2009-01-20T07:24:00.001-08:00

Morning ritual for the boys. They get to snuggle on the couch with their blankets watching cartoons before we have breakfast. This is a really sweet time to snuggle with them. Plus they get up at the same time, so it is great one on one time.

Check out my last entry, how long will this stay hanging?

Outside our front door. People call or email us and ask if it is still snowing, it snows off and on. But we will have this snow on the ground until the end of February or March because it will not melt. We are excited because the temperature did go up 40 degrees. We are now this week around 20 degrees, that is a great improvement from -20 last week. Ryan had the day off yesterday, so we were excited to get to spend a long family weekend together. Ben had fever for most of it, but we did get to go see the new movie "Hotel for Dogs". They boys loved it, they keep asking when we can get one. My answer right now is when we move somewhere that doesn't have snow on the ground.

Blizzard, Illinois style!

2009-01-16T05:36:00.000-08:00

Crazy boys getting into trouble!
Checking out the snow.

Picture out our front door

Taken out back door, the snow is up to the swings on the swing set.

Our patio furniture covered in snow. We have judged how much snow we have received from the collection on the small table. The was about 3 days worth of snow.

Growing up in Texas, a small town for that matter, when you hear the word blizzard, one thing comes to mind. Ice cream treat from Dairy Queen! Well, Monday night we had our first "blizzard warning", and ice cream wasn't involved! I am sure you have heard on the news about the dangerously cold weather here in the Chicago area. Yes, it is very cold here. When the boys and I got out yesterday, the temperature reading from my car was -6 degrees, with wind chill it was - 27 degrees, thats cold folks. The crazy thing, the sun is shining the entire time! So what does -27 feel like, stick your hand in the freezer for 2 minutes and then hit your hand with an ice pick several times - welcome to our winter wonderland! On a positive note, our house stays very warm. When we are inside and you look out the window, it does look like a beautiful, winter wonderland. I want to say "thanks" to a great, great friend that is saving my life this winter. In December I had a great friend that went to visit her sister in London. She brought me back my favorite tea of all time - Harrod's English breakfast tea. I am forever in debt to her. I have enough tea to make 100 cups, one a day will get me through the first of April and away from the snow. Every morning I have one cup that warms me up for the day! I slowly sip on it and think happy (warm) thoughts, thanks Court!

My mother drove back with the boys and I last Friday from Texas. We made it a 2 day trip and stopped in to visit cousins. We left Texas in 70 degree weather and by the time we reached our house on Friday afternoon it was in the twenties. It was a easy drive, and I am very thankful I had the company of my mother for 2 days. Mums stayed with us for several more days before flying out before the "dangerous, cold" weather hit!

Having not blogged in a month, I need to recap our Christmas! I am thankful for our friends and family back in Texas that let us stay with them for the extended length of time we were there. I felt like a traveling nomad moving from house to house. We enjoyed 3 different "family" Christmas parties. The boys were still asking for gifts after the last one. I guess they thought it would be a month long Christmas. I told them Christmas wouldn't come again until next year, so they are already making out their list for next year. I think we will have to work on them about the "giving" of Christmas season not the "getting". Santa brought the boys golf clubs, and they are excited about the snow melting (in April) and getting to go play with their dad. One nice thing of living here, everything is family centered outside the home. Children are encouraged to play golf, they have their own fees and times for play with daddy. I think it will be a great father/son experience for them. I went on my annual New York trip the weekend before Christmas with my mother, sister, and family friends. We had a blast. I was a little more prepared for the cold weather this year, it didn't seem to bother so much (I guess my body it getting used to the cold). That was also the first time in the 8 years we have been going that snow was on the ground when we arrived and left. We went to watch The Little Mermaid and Rockettes. Both were great shows, I think The Little Mermaid would rank within my top 6 shows seen on Broadway. ( Top 6 Broadways not in any order: Cats, Mama Mia, Mary Poppins, Little Mermaid, Moving Out, and Wicked)

We spent the New Year's in Houston with my sister's family for the 6th year. Ryan was also in a wedding for a dear friend that weekend, so timing worked out great. The kids were able to spend lots of time together. The big boys enjoyed golfing and us girls enjoyed after Christmas shopping with mom! I will keep you posted on our snowy, cold weather.

Christmas is coming . . .

2008-12-17T13:14:00.000-08:00

Just a short post to let you know the boys and I are visiting family. I will try and upload pictures later of our adventures back in the Lone Star State. We are trying to catch up with family and friends. It feels great to be back home, but it feels strange to be homeless here. Please keep Jackson in your prayers. He caught a bug this week and has had a difficult time. Plus, he needs to eat. The little guy is not eating so he has a feeding tube. Please continue to pray for his parents. They need strength and REST!

Catch up of pictures

2008-12-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

Benjamin making snow angels.

Carter loves making snow angels!

We try and have family fun night at least once a week. Several weeks ago, we went bowling. This was our first time to take the boys. They loved it! We had such a good time, and the boys did great! Now every time we pass a bowling alley, the boys ask if we can stop and bowl. Instead, we have family "bowl" night with the wee several times a week. Benjamin is awesome at this game!

Thanksgiving in West Virginia

2008-12-06T20:45:00.001-08:00

Ryan's grandparents and the boys
Grandad and Carter

Grandma and Ben

We spent Thanksgiving in West Virginia with Ryan's grandparents. We had a blast. The drive wasn't that bad with the boys, they did a good job in the car. The boys had fun playing with their dad's/uncles' toys. Ryan's grandparents saved several toys from over the years. The boys went crazy playing with them, it kept them entertained for hours. They also had fun playing with the piano and bumper pool down in the basement. We also had to go to the park to show grandma and grandad the boys baseball skills. They enjoyed hitting "home runs" while grandma cheered them on. It was very hard to leave because we wanted to spend more time with them. Hopefully we can get back to visit next year.

Our First Down pour!

2008-12-06T20:33:00.000-08:00

The boys using their new sled down our driveway on the way to the sledding hill.

Carter getting all bundled up!

Benjamin getting ready for Christmas.

Finally, a picture of our new house. This was taken on Monday 12/1, after our first little snow fall. It has been snowing all week, so the boys were able to go sledding today. I went to a brunch at church, and Ryan took the boys off to play in the snow. The boys had a blast. They loved going down the hill in the sled. They would scream and laugh on their way down. It was so much fun to watch and hear them. I was able to check a little bit after my brunch. Two things I realized I needed to add to my "snow" gear - snow pants and wool socks! It has been very cold here this week. I keep asking the "natives", "Is this cold to you?" Everyone is saying this is uncommonly cold and the snow is falling a lot sooner that usual - GREAT!

In need of prayers!

2008-11-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

Our sweet little nephew is going in for surgery today at 1:oo pm. Please be in prayer during this time for him. They are doing a skin biopsy, removing a lymph node, and putting back in the central line for his medicine. More than anything, Doug and Melissa need answers to why Jackson's little body is not healing. This is his second surgery this week (Wednesday, was his third brain surgery in 2 months). Please pray for healing for Jackson, wisdom for the doctors, and strength for Doug and Melissa. When it rains it pours, Vaughn, our cute little niece is in the hospital too. She was admitted yesterday for dehydration. As of now, they should be able to go home this afternoon. Please add her to your prayer list too! Thank you for your continue prayers with our family!

A Little bit of snow!

2008-11-17T06:19:00.001-08:00

Boys at the pumpkin patch in Lewisville Benjamin at the ER getting 4 stitches
Carter at the State Fair of Texas
Benjamin got the game ball at the next to the last T-ball game!

We woke up to a thin layer of snow on the ground, not too bad; but it is COLD here! The sad thing is it will get much colder here! We are almost all unpacked. I think I counted 3 boxes left in the bedroom. I should be able to knock those out today. We had a great weekend here. On Saturday, we took the boys bowling. This was our first adventure with them. We decided to go ahead and pay for 2 games. Well 1 would have been good. Even though we got through the 2 games it took us telling the boys they needed to bowl their game. The boys had a blast. Benjamin got a strike his first time. It was so cute, he was jumping around giving us high fives. Then he said, "yea, I am great at bowling just like my friend Rylan!" So Kelli and Lane, I think we may have a family challenge at the bowling alley next time we are in town! Sunday, we went to church, they boys seemed to enjoy their classes and new playmates. When we were leaving Benjamin asked, "is there not more mommy?" So I guess that is a good thing! I did meet 3 other women and we are getting together this week for a play date. Little Carter is hitting a funny spell, I think he is just now starting to get shy around girls. Two times last week, he got silly eyes and pointed to 2 different girls. We met Ryan for dinner on Friday night, Carter pointed to a girl at the next table, and then quietly said, "Hello Gorgeous!". She didn't hear, but I wanted to laugh so hard - he is a little charmer! Ryan spent Sunday afternoon playing baseball with the boys at the field down from our house, and I was able to run errands and go to the grocery store in one piece.

Any boxes

2008-11-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

For the last 3 days, we have been unpacking close to 200 plus boxes. As of today, we have most of the downstairs completed. I am tired of unpacking boxes, but we still have several to go! We had great weather this week, but today it got chilly. We had a small amount of snow flurries, but they didn't stick. We had to turn on our heater. We talked to friends back in Texas, and they said it was 73, must be nice! As soon as I can upload pictures of the boys and house, I will. I will say the trees are beautiful here. I was driving to Target and looking at the trees. There was every color from red to green leaves. The trees are big and amazing. The boys are getting settled into their new room, they seem to enjoy the new house. We are looking forward to exploring our new city, hopefully we will have time next week. I just want to get the boxes unpacked to feel settled! More later . . .

We are here.

2008-11-03T17:43:00.001-08:00

Just a very short update. It is Monday evening, we are having dinner at Panera Bread. I am using their internet because we aren't hooked up until later this week. The flight was great, the boys were awesome. We hit bottom with them when they didn't take a nap on Sunday. The closing on our house was today, no problems. The truck comes tomorrow with our things. I am hoping the transition to the house will get the boys back on their schedule. Hopefully I can send pictures on Friday. Thanks f.or your prayers

Baby Boy is a Little Man!

2008-10-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

Benjamin at 1 week!
2 years old (Had to skip 1 year picture, it wouldn't upload)
3 years old
4 years old - little man

Today 4 years ago, I experienced God's greatest gift. The gift of love through a child. I remember the moment they handed me Benjamin and the rush of emotions that came with it. I realized at that point, my life would never be the same - it would be so much greater than I could every imagine. I also realized how much love I had for that child, Ryan, and God. I also understood how much my parents loved and still love me. I can't believe these 4 years have flown by so fast. Here are a few things about Benjamin: he loves all sports, but his favorite is still baseball. If he could, he would wear a sports jersey (baseball) everyday. He is a little pleaser, he always wants to help his teacher. Benjamin loves being around other children. His mind is working over time these days. He is interested in letters and numbers. He is starting to ask questions like "what does that start with?" He likes candy, gatorade, and gum. Benjamin is a funny little, and he was the perfect first addition to our family. We are excited to watch him continue to grow!

Moving Update

2008-10-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

Finally had a chance to update on our busy lives. Ryan and I went to Chicago to try and find a house this past weekend. When I say try, that means we weren't successful! Other than the huge difference in prices, the houses are not what we were hoping for in our next home. We are re-grouping and starting over with a list of priorities! The area we are looking seems to be very family oriented. Lots of parks and areas for children to play, I was excited to see that for the kids. Each little community has a pretty cool downtown area (cute shops and eating places). We did go to church. We enjoyed meeting the new people, we were even asked to join a group for lunch but couldn't maket due to meeting up with the realtor. It will be very different from our lives down here, but I do feel better about moving now since we have visited the area. We even have a babysitter!!! Crazy, but like I said, priorities are important. Actually it is a funny story. Ryan and I went into Chicago Sunday night to walk around and eat. We met a younger couple on the walk to Nacy Pier, they asked us for direction. We tried to give them directions and an explanation and off we both went in different directions, both not knowing the exact way. When we crossed the street to get into Navy Pier, we met back up with the couple. We exchanged a few laughs and waves. Then we really couldn't believe it when we walked into the waiting area for the train and there they were. She was studying/reading a book (my kind of girl). We started talking and got to know them both. He lives out of state and was visiting his girlfriend. She was a graduate student at the local college (Marriage and Family Thearpy) in the town were are looking in for homes. We rode the train out together and got her number before we got off. This story may sound creepy to you, but she was actually very nice and normal.

Update on the Family!

2008-09-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

I know, I know it has been over a month since my last blog. I can say this, this past month has been the craziest, most challenging month I think as a family we have ever had. I will start with the most important and work my way down the list. No pictures, our home computer has been sick!
As some of you know our sweet nephew Jackson is finally getting better after being sick (very sick). He is still in the hospital, but he is getting better and stronger each day. Here is a blog to read about him http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jacksonmerriman. Please continue to pray for his body to fight the infection that is still in his body.
Next, if you haven't heard, we are moving to the Chicago area. Ryan received a promotion at work. I am very proud of him! The promotion is in Chicago. Ryan will start working up there the beginning of October. I thought the boys and I would be moving the middle of November after Kellogg's bought our house (60 days with it being on the market).But surprise, after being on the market 3 days, we got an offer. So, on Wednesday, it turned into a contract. We will be closing the end of October. The great news about the house, the boys and I will not be away from Ryan as long as we expected! As much as we hate to leave family and friends, we are excited about this new adventure. It is allowing me to stay home with the boys. When I th ink that Benjamin will only have 1 1/2 years (by the time we get up there) before he goes to school, I feel this is a great time for us to move and me to stay home with them. This is time I can not get back with the boys.
On a great note, Carter is potty trained. We are havig a few accidents every now and then. It is an awesome feeling. I have changed diapers for 4 years straight, most of that having 2 little ones in diapers. I will try to do better the next few days and weeks keeping you updated. Thanks for your prayers and support with Jackson and the moving, we would not be here if it wasn't for good family and good friends!

Summer Games

2008-08-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

Taking a break in the dug out
Up to bat!
Michael "Carter" Phelps
If you are wondering why I haven't written in awhile, we are glued to the television watching the Olympics. We love them. Above are a few pictures of my athletes. We love watching the swimming. The boys enjoy watching Michael Phelps (who deosn't like watching him win so many golds), they have even started calling themselves Mikey. Watching swimming did get Carter to take his lifejacket off and start swimming without it. Both boys can now jump in the deep end of the pool and swim across to the steps - thanks Michael! We still try and get down to the baseball fields, it is hard with it being so hot! Both boys take turns pitching, hitting, catching, and sliding into home plate. We have to take all of our stuff and hang it in the dugout like the big boys. Benjamin starts T-ball very soon, so that will add excitement to our lives. I can't believe summer is over, I start back to work next week. It doesn't feel like it is time. But, when I look back 2 summers ago I started 2 weeks ago! With this school school comes new changes, my schedule is very different. Instead of every other day, I go everyday for half day. The boys are starting a new school on Monday. They seem excited, I am nervous for them (new places and people are not my speciality).

Summer Fun!

2008-07-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

I need to get new pictures off the camera, these are last month pictures. The boys having been playing so well together this week (granted it is only Tuesday). It does make for a much easier week when everyone is getting along. Short update on the boys: Benjamin of course is in baseball mode still, still watching baseball every chance we get on TV, and still playing it all the time. We have moved up in the baseball world from blast ball to T-ball. Now that we are in T-ball, he wants to wear long black socks like "real" players. If fact last night when we strolled down to feed the ducks, Ben had to wear a pair of Ryan's black socks. He pulled them up to his knees, he said he had to look like a "real player" incase anyone saw him! I couldn't find the camera, but it was priceless. Daddy wasn't with us, and I thought it was too cute! Carter is the little funny man, he loves making anyone laugh. He still loves Blue's Clues and always has to have his handy dandy notebook with him. Carter LOVES to draw and color! He can sit at the table for almost a hour just coloring (comes in great when I am getting dinner ready). Both boys love to swim. Benjamin (believe it or not) is my no fear in the water. That kid can dive down and get anything on the bottom. He has really picked up swimming, now we are working on diving! Carter is "no fear" because he still wears his life jacket (not a problem with me). The both love jumping in the water and trying to get everyone wet! We have really used our pool this summer, we try and get in it everyday! As for me, I can't believe I have about 4 1/2 more weeks until school starts, crazy! We are excited about spending time with family these next few weeks! Summer really is the best time of the year!

Still here!

2008-07-11T16:22:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delayed blog. Things have been busy around here. I just pulled up my blog and realized 6/29 was the last - wow! My niece has been with us this week while my sister has been on vacation. We have really had a great time with her. The 4th of July came and went, we spent a great day with family and friends enjoying our community events. I can't believe half of the summer is already past! I have had fun with the boys this summer.

Fish Camp Pictures

2008-06-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

I love the last picture because Carter thought he had caught the little fish on the end of his line. He didn't understand that it was his bait. He would wind up his fishing pole all the way to see it, and then slip it in the water and pull it back up. He did this for about 30 minutes. Everytime he would pull up the line to see the fish he would yell, "Fish"! Carter turned out to be our little fisherman, especially when we got his ring pop! Benjamin enjoyed fishing too. He was more excited that daddy caught a catfish on his fishing pole. He kept telling us, I caught the fish because it was my pole! Thanks to the daddys (we went fishing with friends) who were very patient with the small fishermen!

Jelly man!

2008-06-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

On day 3 when Benjamin would finally get in the ocean past his knees, he got stung by a jelly fish. The top picture is meat tenderizer that a couple next to us had for stings! It was quite painful for him, but he did feel so much better when we got to drink my coke (diet, caffine free - just in case anyone was worried about the caffine or sugar). Ben was up and moving not too long after and did get back in the water the next day. We still have a scar from it two weeks later. Now he has earned the nickname - jelly man. We kept quoting the movie line "You took on the jellys!" from Finding Nemo!

More Beach Pictures

2008-06-25T13:57:00.001-07:00

Beach Pictures!

2008-06-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite pictures. Benjamin is trying to keep up with the bigger boys and their body boards. This was the first evening we were there, Ben didn't use his that much!
Uncle Doug came over one morning to play and see everyone!
YES, we had a head shaving party one night, 3 men and 1 child got in on the action!

All the kiddos, plus Meredith (not pictured). We got matching shirts for them to wear. It ended up being the shirts they worn on the nights we went crabbing!

If you have wondered where I have been the past 2 1/2 weeks, we went on vacation and I am still not recovered! We went again to Alabama with friends and family and spent a week on the beach. Here are a pictures from the trip!

Pictures!

2008-06-03T12:17:00.001-07:00

Most of these pictures are from our last zoo visit. I am counting down the days in this week, it is my last to work (well until August!) We are ready for summer! The boys have been playing so well together. They are loving our pool, we try and get in it everyday! They are funny little guys, they often crack themselves up! Then it usually becomes a contest on who can make the other one laugh the most. Ben is loving it because we are in the middle of baseball season on TV, and Carter's new love is Blue's Clue. Don't know where that came from, but he loves it!

Pictures!

2008-05-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

Benjamin at our last zoo trip. Both boys love playing in the Texas Wild area!
Breaking in the pool, it was a little cold!
Ben's baseball trophy, he got it at his baseball party!
Carter at the zoo!
Carter loves playing in the pool! Sorry, this is a very clear picture!!

Happy Memorial Day!

Pictures of the boys!

2008-05-15T13:25:00.001-07:00

Before you freak, the snake is stuffed, not alive! When we went to Florida over spring break, we ate dinner at the place called the Linger Lodge. They had all kinds of reptiles stuffed on the wall. Benajmin hated it, Carter couldn't get enough of it. He wanted his picture taken by the snake. I have another picture of the waitress lifting him to be close to the snake stuffed along the ceiling, CRAZY boy!
No Fear Man, exept heights!
Can you lean to the right?
Benjamin is posing by sitting on a basketball. He is wearing one of his B-ball jerseys trying to be serious!
Daddy's roping days are coming back.

Oh Heart of Mine!

2008-05-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

Before you even ask . . . yes, these are my pictures. I hope you don't have a weak stomach, but aren't the really cool? If I could take a moment of your time, this is my second time that I will be writing about me instead of my children. These above pictures are just a few of the ones I have from my visit with the heart doctor. Let the story begin! A few months ago I went to see my primary because I was very sick. After taking my blood pressure and getting a family medical history, she states, "before I even discuss why you are here today, I will be referring you to a cardiologist, and you will go." Okay, and several days later I call and set my appointment. Little did I know that I would be seeing one of the best cardio doctors around. Anyway 3 weeks ago I go in for my appointment. Blood is taken, EKG done and so forth, we are rocking along. Common question, "why are you here?" My answer, "family history", just coming to get checked out! Okay we concluded from that visit, my HDL in my cholestrol was way off, 25 points too low. For those of you that don't know about cholestrol, very quick lesson. Your cholestoral should be under 200 and it is made up of HDL (the good, in woman needs to be 50 or above) and LDL (the bad, can't give you a number). Anyway, my overall cholesterol was normal to low, but my HDL was extrememly low. When your ratio of HDL and LDL is off problems can occur. Like doc said, a low HDL is a silent killer because it can lead to other problems without you knowing. So he schedules me for a coronary CT aniogram for Monday, May 5th. We dropped the boys off at the Ps house and off we went. Little did I know that it would take 6 hours to complete it; yes, we got back to pick the boys up 6 hours later. Anyway, they had problems starting my IV, I won't go into it because my arm is bruised and STILL hurting. I had been taking medicine all week to slow my heart rate down to under 60. When it was finally my turn for the scan, my heart decided to stay a little above 60. So I then received over a period of time 4 more rounds of my medicine to slow my heart down. The scan doesn't start until it reads my heart as under 60 beats. Anyway long story short (because I can give you the long version), my heart rate finally dropped and off the nurse ran to start the scan. When she started the scan, it shoots dye followed by saline solution into my IV. If you have a weak stomach . . . stop reading. As I was saying, when they shot the last round of dye and saline ( remember I have tried it 2 other times without it working because the scan will not read until the dye passes into the heart with a rate lower than 60) the saline busted my vein and started building up a ball fluid on my upper arm. Did I tell you I had to hold my breath and not move while the scan was taking place!!! As I am screaming my arm, the nurse comes in to yank out the IV. She did tell me that they got the scan, it only takes 19 seconds if everything is working properly - HA HA! So out comes the IV an on comes the heat packs. Remember that I have had 5 rounds of medicine to slow my heart down, trying to get off the table and walk straight with my arm that is now bandaged up half my arm! Not to mention that I also have a blister on my arm from the heat packs being TOO hot. One hour later, we are finally meeting with the doc (8:00) to go over the pictures and the swelling in my arm is now slowly decreasing. I am telling you all of this because no matter how long or bad the day was, it was worth the wait. My heart looks great, no plaque or artery problems - a health good heart. After hearing that we talked about other things - the scan was able to see all of my organs - everything looked great, very healthy - YEA!!! So I brought up my cholesterol and the low HDL from the last visit that was the "silent killer". To my amazement, my HDL had risen the 25 points needed to get me out of the danger zone. He even asked what I had been doing last week. My answer, " I was on a cruise stuffing my face with whatever I wanted to eat - beef, chocolate, desserts, coke (drink not powder), hot dogs, etc." I mean I ate everything in site, gaining 2 lbs, but working out everyday! So I am telling you this because I know it could not have been from my huge appetite, I know it was all my family and friends praying for me these past 3 weeks. My doctor really couldn't explain it! I am in the clear, I don't have to go back for 2 years! I also want to encourage all women to be proactive for heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause in deaths among women. Most of the time women do not even know they have heart disease until it is too late, check your cholesterol and blood pressure regularly! As many of you know, I lost my father to heart disease, and I am four months away from where he was when he died. I am glad we have technology that will help detect diseases earlier, and I am very glad I have a network of friends and family that take time to pray for me!

Cowboys and Baseball

2008-04-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

Drink break during his game!

Yes, we wear our boots with shorts!

These are the 2 things are lives revolve around right now . . . being cowboys and playing baseball. Our good friend P got the boys on a cowboy and bull kick almost a year ago. Well this week Honey (MIL) up the experience by getting the boys new and must I say real boots and hats. The boys have worn them non stop (unless they are playing baseball)!

Cribs!!!!!

2008-04-08T18:56:00.001-07:00

One thing you may not know about me is the fact I love watching the MTV show Cribs. I love looking at other people's house, especially if it is HUGE! I don't get to much often, but it is one of my favorite shows to watch! Anyway I am proud to announce we are no longer a house with a crib! Yea, little Carter is now moved to a bed, a very cool bunk bed. His poor crib was falling to pieces, Ryan blames the fact that I didn't put it together right when we moved in (I maybe left out a couple of screws!). Here a several shots of his new bed. Another interesting fact we found out about Carter. Now remember his is my daredevil . . .he is afraid of heights! We just put two and two together when he wouldn't climb up the ladder by himself. Well, at least I don't have to worry about him climbing up to the top during his nap!

He wouldn't dare stand up on the top bunk. I will enjoy as long as I can!

Fishing or Swimming?

2008-04-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Each night we try and have family time together. We let the boys alternate each night choosing what they want to do. On Monday night Carter chose fishing, so off we went with rods and a tackle box, diaper bag, and drinks. So, I am sure you are wondering from the picutre (taken when we got home) why Carter isn't wearing any clothes! Well, he went head first into the pond! His clothes and shoes were so wet, we had to strip him down for the ride home due to the chilly wind (and notice I didn't say extra clothes for accidents in the list of items taken with us_. Now before you start to panic about him going into the water, I just want to say Ryan and I were right beside him; he wasn't even in the water more than 10 seconds. I do want to recall the fact that big brother has fallen into the water fishing as well. He was about 19 months old when that happen! So when the family packs up to go fishing, sometimes we decide to swim too!

Rained out game!

2008-03-29T10:10:00.001-07:00

Today was supposed to be Benjamin's first Blastball game. The coach called us at 8:20 this morning to tell us "no game." We still had pictures, so we waited until we were in the car to tell Benjamin no game. He handled it great. He asked if he was still going to see his baseball friends and could he still drink his gatorade? Yes to both! Anyway pictures took over 1 hour, yuck! But we really had a chance to talk with all the little guys and girl and their parents. Benjamin had a great time as did Carter. Here are a few pictures from the morning. Carter wanted his picture taken too, so after big brother's team moved off the bench for the team photo, lil bro moved in for his big shot!

Spring Break in Florida

2008-03-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

Shamu
Boys playing on the beach
Dolphins at Sea World
Boys cruising on the boat.
Ryan and boys at the Pirates baseball game, both boys were given a foul ball. Look at how close we are to the field!

Wow, we spent Spring Break in Florida with Ryan's parents, we had a blast! We were busy seeing everything. We went to 3 different beaches, the boys LOVE playing in the sand and water. It was so much fun watching them run around and laughing. We went to Sea World. The boys were troopers, we saw 3 different shows. They are still talking about Shamu and the dolphins. We went to a Pirates spring training game against the Blue Jays. We had great seats, the game was hot, hot. I totally understand why families travel across several states to go see their home team at training camp. You are so close to the players, you actually see their faces! The players were nice to the fans, they threw any balls they could to the crowd. It was incredible. Ryan even had a chance to go fishing out in the boat. That was until Benjamin got see sick from the rocking! The time went so fast with Pops and Honey, we can't wait to go back!

2 post in 1 day, don't get used to it; the boys are sleeping well today. Which is good because they didn't during our trip. I think they are still catching up!

Easter Joy!

2008-03-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

At Mum's house having a picnic outside!
Funny man!
Yes, this was his Easter picture. Lets just say he didn't like the tie. I didn't even dare try to put the boys together for a picture. I was afraid biting would occur.
This would be little brother telling me he didn't like the tie. At least his stayed on 5 minutes longer than Ben's.
Of course Benjamin wanted nothing to do with the Easter bunny, but Carter couldn't wait to get his picture made with him. I think he knew he would get a sucker. This was at Ft. Richardson the State Park. Each year they host a Easter egg hunt. I liked it because the little guys were in a different group. They boys loved hunting for eggs. Benjamin was on the prowl to collect the most eggs. Carter just wanted to take it easy and eat the candy in between hunting the eggs. Needless to say we got plenty of candy, and it all went to my students on Monday morning.

Snow pictures

2008-03-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

Is that my child?

2008-02-24T12:20:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day 2008

Have you ever had one of those moments where you are wondering if your child is really your child? Most of the time when my children do stuff, I end up saying, "you are your father's child!" I had that new experience this week with Carter. I am trying to keep/add vegetables in my kids' diet. So when I went to the grocery store, I got several different types of fresh and canned vegetables. I remembering their babysitter saying something about peas at lunch one day, so I got a can of green peas. Now just to update you on my eating habits. I DON'T eat vegetables and especially green vegetables (except lettuce). So I was shocked one morning when Carter was in the pantry and insisted on eating peas. He recognized the can and pulled it out saying, "peas, peas". I thought okay its 10:30, but if you asking for peas, I will give you peas. This whole time saying outload to myself (quietly), "You are not my child, where did you come from!" As I am quietly gagging while opening and draining the can, I am still mutterring it to myself. I pour a small amount of peas into a bowl and heat them up. Do you eat peas cold or hot? I didn't know, I figured hot so in the mircrowave they went. Carter was already sitting at the tables yelling for his peas, CRAZY! I gave him his peas, he began to eat. I went back into the kitchen to tidy up. A little later, Carter said all done and held up with bowl. I am STILL saying to myself, "Where did you come from?" I went to get him out and noticed green peas ALL over the floor. He didn't eat one! When I saw the peas all over the floor, I just laughed out load and shook by head. Mainly for two reasons, yes, he was finally my child; and second, that is what I used to do when I didn't want to eat something. I knew my mother wouldn't make me eat anything that hit the floor, and she was too cheap to open up another can just to make me eat a portion. Just a funny Carter story this week!

Carter

2008-02-12T16:56:00.000-08:00

This blog is all about my baby! Little Carter turned 2 this weekend. Wow, I didn't know it would be quite a blow to see your baby turn 2. On a side note, I know it has been over a month since my last blog (things have been crazy; plus, this is my 100th blog (in 1 1/2 years, yes, I know I need to pick up the pace)). We woke Carter up to pancakes with chocolate and peanut butter! Benjamin was such a sweet older brother running in his room to sing "Happy Birthday" to him! Carter got a basketball jersey from us to go along with his love the game. We had a busy weekend with family and the boys!
His birthday cake! As soon as he saw it, all we wanted to do was blow out his candle and eat it. He had been practing blowing out the candles for quite some time now. We even did a practice run with the pancakes. When it came time to blow out the cake candles, he decided to swipe it out with his hands, ouch! Anyway, didn't burn him and still got the job done. I just think he wanted cake!!!!

Carter and Daddy
Carter and Aunt Robin

Back to the Grind!

2008-01-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

Christmas Vacation is officially over for me! I went back to work yesterday! I love my job, but I really enjoyed being home for 2 weeks. Anyway, I finally had a few minutes to blog. Christmas was awesome. The boys were all into it! Plus, we spent lots of time with family! Benjamin is already making his Christmas list for next year! The Merriman family is quite large and still growing. Ryan had both sets of his grandparents come to Texas for Christmas. We hadn't had them down here for Christmas since 2001. We had so much fun getting to visit with them. We had a total of 23 Merrimans for about 4 days! 8 of them are grandchildren 5 and under, lots of fun playing together. Then we went to my parents and extended family for Christmas. We wrapped up our holiday with a trip to Houston to ring in the New Year! After all the traveling, it is nice to be home for awhile!

Christmas morning - B & C got this 4 "wheelie" as we call it!
These are our 2 Merriman babies - Meredith 12 weeks and Jackson 5 1/2 weeks
12/25 - London's birthday, we always have a birthday party for her after lunch. We got her the Hannah Montana Dance mat. She loved it! I can't believe she is 5!
The boys got these football helmets, one of their favorite gifts!

Christmas in the Stockyards

2007-12-21T19:21:00.000-08:00

After running around trying to finish last minute Christmas shopping, we ended up in the Stockyards right in time for the cattle drive. The boys had a good time. They especially liked the little rides that were EVERYWHERE! We did get their picture made on the longhorn, they thought they were REAL cowboys!

Christmas Pictures

2007-12-21T19:13:00.000-08:00

WE have finally hit that year where we are not scared of Santa, but we didn't get any great pictures with him. Oh well, at least we weren't screaming. We did get to see Santa several times.

Family pic with Santa!
Benjamin driving the firetruck. Santa came to our church party in a firetruck, pretty cool!

Christmas Cookies - Yummy!

2007-12-06T17:56:00.000-08:00

Carter rolling out the yellow dough. My mother had some colored dough she gave me, it was very cool. The kids loved it!
Eating the icing. I think he ate more raw cookie dough and icing than anything else!
Benjamin after we made a gingerbread house one night we when decorated the tree!
Benjamin was pretty stuck wanting to make only Frosty the Snowman cookies. He chose the green dough.
Most of the icing did get on his face. Everyone that is was SO FUNNY, so even more ended up on his face!

Celebrate life!

2007-12-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

Pics of the boys

I didn't have a chance to blog on Friday or for that matter over the weekend. As I am home this Monday afternoon and the boys are watching their new "Frosty the Snowman" movie, I have a few minutes. Last Friday 11/30 is a day that I always dread. There are not a lot of things I dread, but I dread that day. Mainly because in the past I have felt sad all day, partly because I add the sadness to myself. I tried to make the day as enjoyable as I could for myself, and I have to say I did a pretty good job. I took my students on a field trip to the mall. (I teach Apparel and Textiles, so it is not a stretch to go to the mall.) I can't complain spending my workday at the mall, right. Ryan and Benjamin went camping, so my mother came over to spend the night with Carter and I and do a little shopping on Saturday. As crazy as this sounds, I feel closest to my father when my mother is around, so it was actually nice to spend the anniversary of my father's death with her for part of the night. Also 1 sweet angel topped off the evening by teaching me a valuable lesson that I was wanting to learn. Life is about celebrating! I dread 11/30 because he physically isn't here anymore with us. I should use that day to celebrate his life, my life, my children's life, and new lives that form everyday.

Update, Finally!

2007-11-28T19:44:00.000-08:00

Meet Benjamin the "bull rider"! His bull riding name is "Marcus Merriman", don't ask me, I just go with it. I really don't know what started us on the crazed cowboy stage. I think PP had something to do with it. It is so funny watching him bull ride, of course the bull is daddy (not a real bull)! Here he is practicing. I love the little hand up!
He has turned into such a sweet little boy. I love hearing him talk. I don't know where he comes up with some of his words. But most of the time he keeps us in stitches!
Carter has grown, he does not look like a little baby anymore. Where did the time go?
Carter's first black eye! There is a reason why the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" He was a trooper!
I know before you say anything I just want to add, other than Tech, we show no loyalities to any school! We are going to be open and let our boys chose their college of choice. And because daddy is so cheap when it comes to the boys clothes (yes, you heard me DADDY), we will wear anything that is given to us as a gift! This picture is funny, they did wear those on game day!

I don't know where the month of November went, it is a fog! We are looking forward to Christmas. The boys are pumped. Their daddy even went for the blow up Frosty in the front yard! We officially have yard art now!

Merriman boys 6 vs. Merriman girls 2

2007-11-13T19:21:00.001-08:00

Jackson Daniel Merriman arrived today at 5:05 pm. Jackson weighed 8 lbs 15 oz and was 22 inches long. Way to go Melissa and her coach Doug!!!!
Triplets hold Jackson (Richard, Ryan, and Doug, the proud dad)
Family picture with baby Jackson
Sweet mommy Melissa with new baby!
Cousin Dylan and Benjamin getting the news that it was a boy! We love our girls (Vaughn and Meredith) but we say "Boys rule in the Merriman family!"

We had the whole waiting room filled with family and friend awaiting the arrival of sweet Jackson. Finally Doug gave us the word that is was a sweet boy and everyone was doing fine. We are so excited to have another baby in the Merriman family. God has blessed our family with precious healthy babies. We are excited to all be together with our new additions this year for Christmas. Watch for more pictures to come of Jackson!!!

Ben's birthday pictures

2007-11-09T19:04:00.001-08:00

Yes, I know his birthday was over a month ago, but due to our not having a computer for almost 6 weeks, I am still catching up. This are pictures from his party! We had such a great time playing baseball again!
Ryan and I have been watching Ace of Cakes at night. It inspired me to do a baseball bat and ball cake. Benjamin loved it!

Time is flying by, I can't believe he is already 3. He finally got the "birthday" thing this year. I think he is alreay excited about his birthday for next year!!

One funny story: (Well Ryan probably isn't laughing yet!) This story is truly the life of boys! 2 nights ago Ryan and his friend were putting together a deer tree stand (or something like that). The boys were outside "helping" him with the tools. Ryan was going a little crazy with the extra help because pretty soon the tools were everywhere. I just laughed to myself saying (to myself) welcome to my LIFE! After I put the boys down, Ryan was putting up his tools and trying to find the lost ones. Fast-forward to Friday morning. We put the boys in the car, it was a work day for me. I started backing out of the garage and stop to this horrible sound. Getting out of the car because I thought I had hit something, Ryan meeting me with that look of "What did you hit?" We inspected the back and car, nothing. I got back in the car and could not reverse it. I drove forward just a bit and tried it again. Same LOUD horrible noise. Ryan and I check under each tire and around the car again, nothing! At this point, I can not back up the car; it will not go!
Ryan gets in to move the car. Can't do it, so we goes forward. As he is putting it in reverse to go, I notice the tire. I screamed "Stop and get out"! Ryan wondering what is going on pops out to see me pointing to the tire - THAT HAS A SCREWDRIVER STUCK IN THE RIM OF IT!!! Somehow one of my angels stuck a screwdriver into the tire and caught it in the rim. Sweet Ryan ask which one did it. Yea right, even at 3 and 2 they are still not going to answer. So Ryan takes off the tire while I load the boys in his car to trot off to the babysitters. I so wished I would have taken a picture of the screwdriver in the tire, but Ryan was not in the mood for pictures!!!

Lion take 3!

2007-10-31T12:13:00.000-07:00

London -Halloween 2003
Benjamin - Halloween 2005
Carter - Halloween 2007

I think it is okay to say this costume was worth the money! Thanks Aunt Robin for the costume that keeps on giving! Hopefully we will have more cousins in the future that will use it - What do you say Uncle Knox?

Halloween is here!

2007-10-31T12:04:00.000-07:00

Spiderman and the Angry/Sometimes Sweet Lion
The Sweet Lion - he actually wears the head piece! This costume has been worn by London, Benjamin, and now Carter. I will try and upload everyone in it.
Smiling at the pumpkin patch!
Spiderman, Ben chose this costume at the store. Of course the smallest was 4-5, but we got it anyway. If a few alterations, it works great! It is so funny seeing him wear the costume, he actually goes into character mode!

We LOVE Halloween! This is one of the best holidays! We are looking forward to the Trunk or Treat tonight. So beware of new pics coming!!!!

Trips 30 Birthday.

2007-10-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

Triplets' Birthday Cake - I think this is the first birthday in history where they have had to share 1 cake together, usually they get their own cake.
Trips in the same order as the cake - Rich, Ryan, and Doug (the very soon to be new daddy)!
Rich and my precious Vaughn. Ryan and Benjamin are in the back in the hot tub. Didn't realize that until now, he will LOVE that picture.
Eric (Ryan's oldes brother) and funny man Harrison. For the longest time Harrison's name was Happy Duty.

Yes, I know it is Halloween, I will upload pics of costumes later. I am trying to catch up on the month of being lost with internet. I know you are waiting on every breath to see the 600 plus pics I took during that time! We had a great family weekend with the family to celebrate the big 3-0 for the boys! I think the cousins had the most fun playing football and playing in the dirt! Harrison and Wesley even got to spend the night with us like a real sleepover, YEA!!!

Out with the Old - In with the New!

2007-10-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have moved and are partially settled. We still have a few boxes left, but for the most part, WE ARE IN! I had to put the pictures of the old and new house, because it was such an emotional experience. Probably wouldn't have been bad if the lightning wouldn't have struck the old house days of both contracts were place. But, as you can see all is good!
I had to put these 2 pics on. My friend and I spent countless hours painting these on the boys wall. Carrie will be heart broken when she finds out 2 days after we moved out, they were painted over!!!!!

New house, YEA!

A huge thanks to everyone that helps us move! We could not have done it that fast without you guys. I have also been in the dark because our internet service was not hooked up for 10 days, they kept messing up our order. I felt lost without internet, and poor Ryan had to work from Starbucks those day! I think we are all adjusting to the move 1 street over. I finally had time tonight to download the 600+ pictures on my camera, so over the next few days I will post all the exciting things that happened when we were internetless: triplets 30th birthday, Benjamin's birthday and pumpkin patch, baseball game, and more!

Still Around!

2007-09-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

Did you notcie my new header? Thank you to my good friend PP for putting it together for me!

I am glad to finally be writing again, but I hate to say no pictures. We found out today that we didn't lose everything on the computer, now we just need to get it fixed.
Wow, has our life been crazy the past 2 weeks. I do have to say, we are lightning damamged free. The people finished the work on Thursday, and we only have task left to finished before closing our house. We are out of the option period on both houses, so we should have a sale pending sign in our yard. We close on both houses on 10/11. We hopefully will be totally moved by that Saturday. Since we are only moving 1 street over, it shouldn't be that tough! The boys are doing great, Benjamin is finally starting to potty train; he is doing good too! Carter loves to go on the potty too. I am finally settled in my work, I love my new classes. When I can upload pictures, I will. Thanks for everybody's prayers the past weeks, they helped us get through a rocky week!

Out for a Break

2007-09-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry to disappoint my loyal readers, but I will be out of commission for a few days to week. Due to the lightning striking our house and attic filling up with smoke, having a contract on our house, and in the option period for our "new" house. I need a break. It also has to do with the fact that when the lightning struck our house, the computer blew, so no home computer right now! As soon as we are up and running, I will give more details about our exciting week!

WOW!

2007-08-30T11:40:00.001-07:00

This is the only picture of Carter where he is smiling in the past 2 weeks! WOW, this has been a tough 2 weeks. I started back to work last week, I went all week! Now I am back to my part time work, and the transition for the boys has been terrible, I am REALLY TERRIBLE! Even on the days I am home with them, it is hard. I remember last year it took about a month to adjust to my schedule and when I home or when they are going to Sherry's school. But this year is much worse, I so hope it will get better each year. On the bright side, I am really going to enjoy my work this year. It is starting off GREAT!!! Our house has been on the market for about 1 1/2 weeks now. We have had a few showings, we just need to be patient. I am excited about the long Labor day holiday. I feel like summer is ending which is sad for my, but my second favorite season is fall (summer of course is #1).