MY 100th POST

Merrick is officially 3 months old!  And he is so HAPPY!  This is his face after a nice shower with daddy!  And this is also his face when he wakes up in the morning!  I love waking up every morning to a happy baby!  He is finally growing out of his "newborn" "old wrinkled man" look and turning into a cute cuddly baby.  We love him, he is a joy to have and is STILL sleeping through the night.  We put him down around 10:30 and he sleeps till 8am, SOLID.  We can get him to laugh pretty easily by singing "Row Row Row Your Boat..." and playing with his hands and feet.  He is FINALLY getting to be a better baby in the car, he doesn't cry AS much.  He does NOT however, like the carseat.  I am hoping that changes someday when he gets to face forward. His hair has lightened up a lot!  Some of his new hair almost looks blonde coming in! And he still has blue eyes! YAY TEAM "I LOOK LIKE MY MOM!" We love watching him grow, and interact with us each and every day! Happy 3 month Mr. G!

The Many Faces of Merrick

Sometimes I feel like Merrick goes back between "adult" and "baby" all the time.  Some of his expressions look so....grown up....and serious:)  And others so playful!  So I decided to do a quick photo shoot to demonstrate what I am talking about. 

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a beautiful holiday.  We were able to spend a lot of time with family.  We went to my Aunt & Uncles beautiful home in Genesee.  They have been so wonderful to open their home for the thanksgiving "Feast"  the past few years as my parents home (where thanksgiving normally takes place) has been "under construction" since they moved.  So we have really enjoyed the opportunity to go to aunt lor's and uncle mont's home!  We had TONS of food, as always.  We go big for thanksgiving.  Mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, gravy, green bean casserole, veggies, fruits, deviled eggs, bacon wrapped chestnuts, crackers & cheese, jello pretzel salad, rolls, sparkling cider, rolo-pretzel-pecan goodies, tarts, cranberry sauce, and about a million pies!  I LOVE thanksgiving!  We put together a puzzle, played with the kiddos, visited, and overall had a great thanksgiving as always!  I love this time of year, it always seems to pass us by so quickly, but there are so many things to look forward to.  Enjoy the pictures!

My Boys!

Just a quicky update on life,

We had Merrick's 2 month appt. last week and here are the stats:

Weight: 12.4 lbs.  68th Percentile

Length: 23.5 inches  73rd Percentile (When he was born he was 20.7 inches)--So he has definitely grown a few inches!

Head Circumference: 15.6 inches  39th Percentile

He is sleeping through the night completely, to tell you the truth I have a hard time remembering when he last woke up in the middle of the night, he is smiling, he is cooing, he is laughing!  And we are loving it!

Braxton is absolutely loving being a big brother!  He has almost completely grown out his terrible two's! (YAY)  I feel like ever since we chopped off his sweet little hair, he has grown up a lot more.  He has manners, and always says "Thank You" and "Your Welcome."  His favorite toys currently are his wooden train set and his Buzz Lightyear & Woody toys.  He is a joy to hang out with all day.

We love this time of year, and all the special memories we get to create!  It always seems to pass us by so quickly, but we have a lot of fun and exciting things to look forward to for the next few months.  Happy Holidays to everyone!

Already 2 months!

I cannot believe it has already  been 2 months!  Time seems to be flying by!  But we are having fun!  Merrick is quite the little smiley boy & we LOVE that!  Braxton loves him and is such a great big brother.  It actually surprises me how nurturing Braxton is towards him.  So, here are a few photos to celebrate our 2 month mark, and Braxton's new hair-dooooo.  We cried when we cut his hair:(

I could hardly breathe beginning this last week as I knew what I was about to face.  My Grandfather passed away, and his funeral was being held Wednesday morning.  My siblings and I had the honor to sing at his funeral.  My sister was able to fly in from Illinois to attend his ceremony.  I suppose that is one great thing about funerals, is that we have the opportunity to come together as family.  The funeral was beautiful.  Maybe not two words you picture being in the same sentence...beautiful & funeral, but it was, and I will tell you why, my Grandmother, Ercel.  I sat there during the burial ceremony, and watched her.  I could only imagine what she may be feeling, experiencing, or thinking.  Her eyes so tender, as her sweetie was carried to his place of burial.  My Grandfather served in the Military, and as we watched these soldiers fold the flag and handle it with the utmost respect and care, I had never felt more patriotic, than at that moment.  It was an emotional day, as I realized how glad and blessed my family and I are, to have the knowledge that we have of this gospel, and its far reaching blessings of eternal families.

The next part of my week was helping to plan our Ward Fall Festival, and a lot of it was last minute planning, so it was a big stress for the week, but it was a success and it was so fun to see everyone dressed up!!!

That same night, Ricky's parents drove up from Emmett to be in town for the Merrick's Blessing.  His Grandparents were also able to be here, along with most of my family.  This was such a special day, and I love being able to watch as Ricky has some tender moments with his boys, this day being one of those moments.  It was a beautiful blessing, and we were so grateful to have so much of our family come and be a part of this special day.

Following the blessing, I had the opportunity to teach Relief Society.  Since Merrick has been born, I have felt really MIA in my church responsibilities.  I was feeling very inadequate as Relief Society President, and felt like I needed to stand up and teach.  I have been so blessed by our ward and our sisterhood.  I have never needed them so much than in these past few weeks.  I love each of them.

It was an emotional week, with a lot of family gatherings in between all these big events (also my brother's birthday on Sunday).  But at the same time such a fun week.