The latest and greatest

We have had quite a winter here! We just had a few days of snow, but it has all melted off. Mark and Merritt spent a lot of time "shoveling" and building a snowman.

Our family is moving into a very busy few months! Mark is taking a class that will prepare him for becoming a Fire Captain; it is every Friday in addition to his normal shifts. He is really excited about it though, as we all know Mark excels at learning. He is also hoping to squeeze in a few ski days when he gets the opportunity.

Merritt is a great helper around the house. He clears his dishes, puts his toys away (when he feels like it) and loves to step in to help Morgan whenever he sees a need. I have enjoyed listening to him pick up and use phrases that Mark and I say. Last night I told him to get some books to read and he stood at the bookshelf saying, "hmmm, lets see..." then he would pull a book out and say, "I don't think so, " and shove it back in. This happened over and over until I realized it wasn't funny, but rather a stalling tactic! Merritt is also singing songs. He will sing with us or by himself as he falls asleep and wakes up. He like to sing "Jesus Loves Me," "Old MacDonald," and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." ....Or at least those are the songs we recognize...

Morgan had her 1 year visit at the Dr. and is still registering petite. She is in the 25th percentile and losing weight. The Dr. isn't too concerned though due to increased exercise and change in diet. She isn't walking yet on her own, but scoots around at a good clip with someones hand or one f her push carts. She has a few words, "mommy, daddy, hi, bye" and something that sounds like "dip dip" and "kitty." She waves and claps and loves to dance. Nina and Edwin gave her a children's guitar for her birthday and it is her favorite toy. Morgan easily eats Merritt under the table and sometimes me. A normal breakfast for her is 1.5 adult servings of oatmeal, banana, 1 cup of mixed veggies, applesauce and whatever Merritt doesn't eat.

I am enjoying some extra time off with the kids since Mark is working so much. I am trying to really be present with them instead of busying myself with the things that need to be done in the house. Mark and I are both still involved in our unions at work. Mark just got elected to a position on the executive board and I am still Vice-Pres of my union. Life is very full right now, but we still try to make family and friend time a priority.

That's all for now!

December

November-Makin' the Big Bucks

Merritt: Where mommy going?
Mark: Mommy's going to work to make the big bucks!
Merritt: Big Box! Hav-a, hav-a big box!

So...as you will see in the slideshow, I make big boxes at work and we brought one home for Merritt! November has been a great month with lots of change in the kids. Merritt is really starting to say more sentences and we are learning to think with the mind of a 2 and a half year old. He loves to play with Morgan and can't wait until she wakes up. Merritt also brought a worm in the house in his pocket and told me about it hours later. Morgan is now walking with her push toys or with Merritt's help; he holds her fingers and walks her around the house. She is about ready to get off of formula and started feeding herself with a fork today! She can wave and clap, but we have not heard any "real" words yet.

November

Fall

A Little Update

It is so fun to hear the kids laughing together! When I get home from work, we put the kids to bed and then we sit down to eat dinner. Recently, our background noise has been them peaking over the tops of their beds gigling at each other. One of them will squeal and the other squeals back. This goes on and on and on until Morgan gets too tired to stand anymore.
Morgan started crawling yesterday and she was quite smug amount it; she was very proud of her acheivement and so were we. Now we are in trouble-two on the move! Mark caught some of it on video. She also has her bottom two teeth and has been munching on crackers, cheerios, corn and whatever else she can steal from Merritt while he is distracted.
Merritt has been really focused on playing by himself a lot more lately. He will play with his trains or his Fisher Price "trio" blocks all by himself. He knows a lot of his numbers but refuses to say them on command. He rides his push bike with ease these days, coasting for long periods of time. Mark said that if we had a pedal bike, he'd put him on it now!

New Photos