the merrick family

The 4 year old!

2012-02-05T15:01:00.002-05:00

I am almost a month late in posting this and I still can't believe we have a four year old. We had such a fun time celebrating and after months of asking "mommy, how long till my birthday?" or "is my birthday next?" it was that much sweeter. :)

As I said earlier, we had our playgroup buddies over for lunch and a Mario party on his actual birthday and then when Daddy got home we took him out for a special dinner and more presents. It was this dining experience that we determined Langley Grace is officially unable to go out to eat for the time being. :/ Thankfully Luke still had a blast and I'm pretty sure he felt celebrated all day.

I got the idea from Pinterest to "interview" the kids on their birthday so we can remember some sweet things about them each year. (I tried not to do any coaching so these answers are straight from the heart.)

What is your whole name? Luke Willard Merrick

How old are you? 4

What is your favorite color? Red

Who is your best friend? Cash

What is your favorite animal? Cow

What do you want to be when you grow up? a grown up man that takes my little boy on walks :)

What is your favorite movie? Cars 2

What is your favorite book? Bernstein Bears

What makes you happy? playing

What makes you sad? when I go to time out

What is your favorite food? strawberries

What is your favorite song? Jesus Loves Me

What games do you like to play? Mario and Candyland

We're still here

2012-01-30T21:02:00.003-05:00

Please excuse the unintentional blog hiatus. I don't know where the time goes but I guess these two munchkins keep me busy enough. We're still here and doing great though. If you were a fly on the wall at our house lately you would have most definitely seen us playing "pretend Mario" about 13 times every day (in full costume I must add).

And speaking of Mario, we have a certain 4 year old in our family now who had a Mario themed birthday party that needs a post of it's own soon. That's about all I've got tonight, but Michael informed me people might start to get worried if I didn't post something soon. :)

Mario and the Princess

And this was just after Michael and Luke successfully beat Mario Brothers on the Wii (one of Luke's bday gifts). I was cracking up at both of their awestruck faces. :)

Snow

2012-01-13T17:59:00.001-05:00

We finally got a decent amount of snow in Grand Rapids last night after an unusually dry winter so far. Luke woke up at 6:15 ready to go out and play immediately. It is a lot of work getting these two in their snow clothes but we had fun while it lasted. Even if it was only about 6 minutes.

A little unsure. :)

Not this one.

It is virtually impossible to get a picture of both of them looking at the same time.

Luke and his best buds went sledding.

Christmas in Telluride

2012-01-04T17:12:00.002-05:00

We had a very Merry Christmas in Telluride this year with my family. Santa made a special trip before we left to deliver a few big things that I'll have to post about next, but found us out in Colorado too. He must have thought we were good this year. We enjoyed time in the mountains skiing, cooking, and mostly relaxing. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas time celebrating our Savior's birth too.

Here's a recap of our trip in a TON of pictures:

Langley Grace thinking she's the baby still. Sorry sister.

We did our share of baking

We gave Noah lots of loving

Luke did GREAT at skiing this year. Rode the magic carpet like a champ.

More baking. Birthday cupcakes for Jesus.

Langley Grace sure loves her candy canes. I'm pretty sure she ate about 16 on the trip.

Santa brought a new baby doll

and some Mario guys for Luke.

Special delivery

Cutest little elf I've ever seen

Sweet cousins

Aunt Lisa and the boys

Ski lessons :)

This was the best we could do. Langley had a bit of a rough time this trip to say the least.

The guys

The girls

The whole gang

The most wonderful time of the year

2011-12-16T22:35:00.003-05:00

What we've been up to so far this Christmas season:

Picked our Christmas tree off a lot instead of chopping it down since it was rainy for a few weekends in a row. Definitely not nearly as special but I had to document it.

Decorated the tree

This was Langley Grace's contribution to the decorating

Celebrated Michael's birthday

Played in the first snow of the season

Both boys were pretty excited if you can't tell

This little girl and I stayed happy and warm inside

Visited Santa and Mrs. Claus

And took lots of pictures in matching outfits. I know they'll love me for this later in life. Langley was less than thrilled even now. :)

But I promise she's happy most of the time. See.

I hope y'all have also been enjoying this Christmas season as we prepare to celebrate our Savior's birth.

A Happy Thanksgiving

2011-12-10T18:46:00.005-05:00

This year we were so grateful to get to be in The Woodlands for Thanksgiving and for the great time spent with both of our families.

We did a whole lot of relaxing and just enjoyed being together.

Uncle Matthew lost a bet.

Uncle Jono was a little excited. Ha.

We got lots of loving from Nana and although she did a lot more than she was used to since her pneumo thorax, etc. on Monday we found out the leak had miraculously sealed. Praise God!!!

Uncle Daniel. A baby girl looks good in your arms. :)

This picture cracks me up. They were watching Lion King 3D.

Sweet cousins. Langley had to hold a baby too.

We also got to see some sweet friends from high school and I am always amazed and so happy that when we're together it's like we never skipped a beat.

Thinking Pink

2011-11-25T18:24:00.000-05:00

It's...

a...

GIRL!!!

Praising God for a healthy, growing baby girl and being able to tell both of our families together in Texas. We are thrilled and thankful. Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving too.

Any guesses??

2011-11-22T12:36:00.001-05:00

After changing my mind a couple of times we've decided to find out whether baby #3 is a boy or a girl and tomorrow is the big day! Do you have any guesses? There's a poll on the side bar if you want to cast a vote.

The boys were back in town

2011-11-19T12:46:00.004-05:00

Michael's brothers (minus Jordan, who we greatly missed) came in town last weekend to go bow hunting with him and although they didn't come home with a trophy buck the trip was a success in terms of quality brother time spent together. We loved having them here and Mario and the Princess certainly loved the extra attention. :)

The Princess and all of the boys

Brothers

We had some extra time with Uncle Matthew before Jono got here and someone was pretty excited about that if you can't tell. :)

A Legacy

2011-11-17T13:37:00.012-05:00

Grandmommy was one special lady to so many people and will be greatly missed by our whole family. She loved the Lord and her family and was the best story teller, cook, and so much more. It was such a treat to be with her and learn from her sweet wisdom. As I said in my last post, I am so grateful the Lord allowed us one last visit with her before she went to be with Him and trusting she is worshiping the King today.

Surprise Visit

2011-11-17T13:37:00.010-05:00

Two weeks ago the kids and I headed down for a quick surprise visit to Texas for Aunt Val's 30th Birthday and to surprise Nana with a visit too!...And I finally got to meet my sweet nephew, Noah!

Surprise, Aunt Val! Happy Birthday!

The pretty birthday girl

We got to spend time with lots of Aunts and Uncles and cousins too! Bonus!

We played a lot of Mario Kart and I'm not kidding, Luke beat almost everyone.

It was so fun to see Lisa as a mommy! She's definitely a natural.

Luke loved riding next to "baby Noah."

I will be forever grateful for one last visit with Grandmommy. She went to be with Jesus this week and I am so thankful we got to see her. (more on Grandmommy in the next post)

We swam with Billy and the dogs. :)

We got to give Nana and Papa some loving too.

Cousins. Precious.

Aunties. :) I tried not to be a baby hog, but I guess Langley made that pretty easy since she was not so fond of a baby being in my arms. Oh sister, you've got another thing coming. :)

A fun day

2011-11-01T19:41:00.003-04:00

We had a super fun Halloween yesterday so here's a plethora of pictures to document:

We didn't actually carve yesterday but that's part of Halloween

Michael's idea was to carve our two favorite states

We continued our tradition of pumpkin donuts on Halloween morning

Is there something on my face?

What can I say, the ladybug likes her food (or candy)

Luke woke up and first thing out of his mouth was "I can't 'beliebe' it's trick or treat day."

You can't see my crown but I was Princess Peach with my two Marios and our little ladybug

We had some of our friends over for pizza before heading out for trick or treating

The moms and all of the ladybugs (not planned)

My super handsome Marios

Luke's best buddy, Cash

They were a lot faster at the trick or treating this year. Good thing, it was chilly.

The budding romance. :)

We love our Nana..

2011-10-22T08:16:00.000-04:00

and we're SO happy she is home and feeling better. For a little bit of background, Kellie has been in and out of the hospital for the past 6 weeks or so after an initial collapsed lung (aka. pneumo thorax) and then discovering she has a rare lung disease. She is a fighter and has battled a lot of pain, a couple surgeries, and mustered a lot of patience while waiting for her lung to heal and stay up without suction. Her faith in Jesus is something to aspire to, for I am certain she would not have the joy she contains through this trial without His love in her. She was able to go home last week with a chest tube still in place, and has since gone back to have it clamped to see if she could have it out but her lung was not quite ready.

Please continue to pray for her healing and specifically that the tube would not get infected and hopefully be able to come out soon. She is something else and we just love her to pieces.

Happy fall

2011-10-13T08:58:00.001-04:00

We made our annual trip out to Klackles Orchard last weekend with a group from our residency program. It was a great time and got us even more in the fall spirit around here. I do love this time of year but wish it lasted a little longer since winter will be here before we know it. Hope y'all are having a happy fall.

Spilling the beans

2011-10-01T10:47:00.001-04:00

That's right. Baby #3 is on it's way! We are all thrilled and can't wait to meet this little one in April. Thankfully I am past the 12 week mark and hoping that means I will enter the land of the living again. We are praising God for this sweet blessing.

Catch up

2011-09-29T13:56:00.001-04:00

Sorry it's been a while since I blogged. Seems to always be the case lately. We've been busy:

Playing outside before it gets too chilly

Made our first of many trips to the orchard this fall (we love our honey crisp apples) can't you tell?

They both thought it was pretty awesome.

We had some special visitors for a night! My Aunt Becky and Uncle Rick were so sweet to make a stop in GR to spend a day with us. What a treat.

We went to the circus with some friends

Luke was mesmerized, but Langley was not so much.

I took some pictures of my big girl,

Who looks 14 in this picture to me.

And lastly but most importantly....

We have a nephew!!!!!

Noah Levi Charbonnet arrived on Sept. 16th! Isn't he the sweetest thing you've ever seen? We are all over the moon excited for the new addition to the family. I just CAN.NOT.WAIT to hold him.

Sweet end of summer

2011-09-08T21:49:00.000-04:00

This week we have had temperatures in the 60s which feels great, but a little too early in my opinion. Thankfully we headed out to the beach a couple weekends ago for one last summer hoorah. I do love fall in Michigan, but this is pretty lovely too.

And just to brag on my hubby a little, this was just a portion of one day of picking. He sure has a knack for this. Maybe he missed his calling? :)

Off to school

2011-09-08T21:22:00.001-04:00

Luke started preschool this week and has absolutely LOVED it so far! I am so thankful. It doesn't hurt that his best buddy, Cash, is in his class either. Some of these pictures were from our meet the teacher day but the excitement has not changed all week. The first day he made sure that I wasn't going to be staying there with him, and when I went to pick him up the first thing out of is mouth was "Mom, I had really lots of fun!" His favorite part was playing outside and snack time. Typical boy. :) So proud of my brave boy.

And I just thought this was sweet. :) He loves to read.

the ONE year old

2011-09-08T21:13:00.005-04:00

I haven't documented much about Langley Grace in a while but it's not for lack of activity. She decided that the day before her birthday was a great time to start walking and hasn't looked back since. She is loving life now that she does a little better at keeping up with her big brother. (Sorry for the poor video quality. The second child has mostly iPhone video footage of her life.)

She is also starting to really play with her baby dolls and I just can't get over the cuteness.

Sister also got her first official haircut a couple weeks ago and did quite well I might add, but where did my baby go?

Other than that she is just the sweetest little munchkin. She's definitely keeping us busy and is absolutely loved to bits. :)

More catch up - Our time in The Woodlands

2011-08-30T17:14:00.002-04:00

The last leg of our vacation was in The Woodlands where we did LOTS of celebrating. There were five family birthdays, one baby shower, and a big 60th birthday bash for Billy. Of course I have lots of pictures to document each of the occasions. :)

Sweet time with Great Grandaddy and a visit to Great Grandmommy that sadly did not get photographed. Thankful she got to go home from rehab today.

Langley Grace turned 1! We started it off right with Shipley's donuts

and ended it right with delicious cupcakes.

We celebrated Uncle Craig's birthday at my fave (and his too I think), Lupe Tortilla!

Then we had a sweet shower for baby Noah. I was soooo glad to be in town for it.

We swam in Deedee and Billy's pool about 4 times a day. This was pretty much mandatory if we wanted to be outside at all with the temps over 100 every single day.

Then we celebrated Billy's big 6-0 bday.

Lots of cousins

The brothers

And lots of dancing to top it all off.

I was so glad we were able to be there for all of these special occasions and it was so great to see lots of sweet family members throughout the week. Sadly I didn't get any pictures of Gigi who made the trip all the way from Florida. It was a great way to round out our marathon vacation of the summer.

Keystone

2011-08-17T20:15:00.002-04:00

From Telluride we headed 6 hours east to meet up with the Merrick/McMillin crew in Keystone for a week. The house they rented was amazing and we had the best time just being with family. Here is a recap with just a few ;) of the pictures that were taken. It was a blast!

The poker players

Nanny and Nana love

Not a bad place to play golf.

Papa is so fun!!

Love.

We did a huge hike up to some fly fishing spots (for the boys) one afternoon. It was awesome but quite intense.

Me and my sister in love

Luke had a sweet playmate named Brighton

Is 1 too young for an Iphone? Ha!

Sweet Nanny and Grandad

Langley was definitely lacking attention - NOT!

There were lots of puzzlers. You should have seen the finished product!

Capped off by an awesome magic show by Uncle Jordan

I've got some catching up to do

2011-08-15T15:14:00.001-04:00

We made it home yesterday after three weeks of vacation in Colorado and Texas! It was a wonderful whirlwind of a trip and I'm definitely having vacation withdraw today. Ugh. I just uploaded 1032 pictures so I have lots of posts coming but first I still have some pictures from Telluride with my family that I just couldn't leave out...

Dancing with DeeDee

Perfect size for my peanut

Chatting with Billy

An Apple takeover

My Dad was a maniac on the mountain bike.

The guys (minus Daniel - who had just left)

Home away from home

2011-08-05T14:07:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the lack of activity on the blog lately, we've been too busy playing in the mountains for a couple weeks. (and my computer had an unfortunate accident) I'll be back for more regular posts soon about our time with both of our families but for now here's some of what we've been up to...

mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys

2011-07-16T22:34:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday we went out to a small town rodeo and had the best time. They had the traditional bull riding and barrel racing by real cowboys but also had a few events open to the public. Although we all wished Nana had dusted off her boots and done the horse race, Luke did get to try his hand at mutton bustin and to say he was proud would be quite an understatement! Just before his turn Michael asked if he was ready and he responded "my name is Luke Willard Merrick and I'm 3 years old." He was BIG stuff! Thankfully the rodeo clown never even let go of him, much to this mama's delight. :)

We will definitely be heading back out there soon, it was a blast and a great photo opportunity. Thanks to Aunt Lauren for taking all of these great pics.

California lovin'

2011-07-14T13:48:00.001-04:00

As previously mentioned, we had some really special visitors last week. Matthew and Lauren came all the way from California to spend some time with us in Michigan.

We did LOTS of playing in the backyard

Luke got really good at catching fireflies

Nana even got to make a surprise visit :))

We cooked and ate veggie all week

They went to Chicago for a couple of days and came back with some sweet surprises. Fabulous shoes for Langley were a hit!

And as if you can't tell, someone missed his Uncle Matthew while they were gone. :)

We also went to a rodeo over the weekend but that will be a post of its own shortly. We had a blast having them here.

Lately we've been...

2011-07-07T11:44:00.003-04:00

Spending LOTS of time at the pool with great friends!

Gone to swim lessons Monday-Thursday mornings

Took some sweet pictures of the Miss at a friend's photography studio

Celebrated the 4th

at a parade in our neighborhood

Went to a really fun birthday party where Luke became a pirate,

we were really enthusiastic about watching the fireworks!

And right now we have some really fun visitors in town that will have a post of their own later! :)

Chow for now!

In honor of our Daddy!

2011-06-23T09:17:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, in honor of Father's Day we did all kinds of things to bless Michael that included:

Agreeing to go camping with two small children (for one night only!), which if you remember from a while ago we don't exactly have the greatest track record in this department. :) I'm happy to report this trip was a success and fun was had by all. We didn't even have to leave in the middle of the night to come home.

Langley spent a lot of time in here and was quite happy about it. Thankfully.

Took pictures by pretty Silver Lake and sand dunes

We went strawberry pickin in his awesome garden

Turned those strawberries into ice cream and jam

Went to a pig roast at a local brewery

And had dessert with great friends

It was a great weekend and so much fun to celebrate Michael with things he enjoys. I just asked the kids what their favorite thing about Daddy is and Luke said "that he wrestles" and Langley just said "dada" over and over again. Pretty sure they love him to pieces and I do too! :)

Summer Lovin'

2011-06-14T15:38:00.004-04:00

Living in Texas I never really appreciated summer as much because the winters weren't really that bad but up here in the tundra I have grown a whole new appreciation for summertime! How sweet it is. We have been living it up by playing and eating outside as much as possible, having sweet friends over, and going to the pool almost every day. :)

This sweet sister is about ready to take off and walk

Our Daddy is the best (not that we're biased or anything)

A pizza picnic

That's a whole lot of kids

The bounce house is even more fun outside!

We have strawberries coming out of our ears in the garden. Does someone want to teach me how to jam?

A sweet moment caught watching cartoons. They do still need a little rest here and there.

Happy Summer!!

Pure Michigan

2011-06-01T22:32:00.004-04:00

I am a firm believer of the saying "you can take the girl out of Texas but you can't take the Texas out of the girl" but have to admit that Michigan is a pretty great state! We went up north last week with Michael's mom and dad and had a wonderful time exploring some parts of the state we hadn't seen yet and getting to spend great time catching up with Nana and Papa. :) Here are a ton of pictures because I couldn't narrow them down anymore.

Papa is pretty funny in Luke's book

The three girls of the week

The beach was great fun but a little chilly for the majority of the trip

Nana is the best sandcastle builder...Langley didn't want to be left out

To my surprise Luke just jumped right in when Michael asked him to go kayaking

Luke being a self proclaimed "nudie" (don't ask)

On our day trip to Mackinac. It was as cool as we had heard, just wished the weather had been a little warmer.

I thought we brought the scooter for Luke to play with. :) (Look closely and you can see he is airborne)

Cue the Pure Michigan commercial

Michael and I went up to a winery/bed and breakfast for a night which was wonderful!

I fell in love with Old Mission Peninsula with all of the cherry blossoms

My left hip extension

2011-05-16T22:10:00.000-04:00

I haven't really posted about Langley Grace lately and it's not for a lack of activity on her part. She is now a very proficient crawler and stander-uper but definitely likes life on my left hip the best. She is so much fun and has such a sweet little personality that seems to like to take it all in for the most part. Don't get me wrong though, she is not afraid to make her voice known when her big brother "forgets" to respect her personal space as much as she'd like. I certainly don't blame her. :) I love this sweet girl!

And, because I thought this was funny!

Stomach Virus 1, Merrick family 0

2011-05-11T08:23:00.004-04:00

As I said in my last post, my dad had a work conference in Chicago at the beginning of last week so we jumped at the chance to go spend some time with DeeDee and Billy. I LOVE Chicago and the weather turned out perfectly but our health....that's another story.

We got there on Saturday and enjoyed a looooong walk to lunch at a Chicago staple, Oven Grinders, and then walked some more to the zoo, and a fun park. After that it was downhill in a hurry and I don't want to get into too many details, but thank the Lord for my wonderful mom! She came through in the clutch and ended up driving me and the kids home on Tuesday when I could barely hold my head up. We did squeeze a little shopping in, and the highlight of Luke's trip was definitely the Disney store. It was a trip to remember (errr...maybe forget) but I was just thankful for time with them.

Here was one bit of sweetness caught on video:

It was a good day

2011-05-09T15:56:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a good day, all the way around, in the Merrick household. We've been struggling to fight off the stomach bug that hit ALL four of us (and my Dad) after our visit to see them in Chicago (which I still need to blog about). So, I was a bit down in the dumps going in to Mother's Day but it turned out to be a great day! With the kids still pretty germy we decided to forgo church and have a family brunch at one of our favorite places around the corner (Omelette Shoppe to be specific).

The rest of the day included but was not limited to: a pedicure for me, cards, flowers, some gardening/playing outside, and pizza at another favorite, Big Bob's. I felt loved.

I hope all of you mom's out there had a great day being spoiled too. It's the hardest, most humbling job in the world but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Even after the week we've had, and it's been a doozie! :)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

2011-05-08T11:58:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,

You're the best mom in the whole world! We are so blessed to have you as our mommy! Thank you very much for taking such great care of us each day, and for loving us unconditionally.

We especially appreciate you for helping us this week. We've had quite the week with the rotavirus bug visiting our house. Amidst all of the pooping and puking, you never complained a bit. We would have been in big trouble without you!

Hopefully today feels like a special day for you. We're doing our best to feel better and be on our best behavior. We love you so much!

Love,
Luke and Langley Grace

Easter Weekend Recap

2011-04-27T21:13:00.002-04:00

We had a great Easter weekend celebrating that Jesus is Alive complete with making a playdough tomb for Jesus, dying Easter eggs, making our traditional bunny cake, hunting for eggs, and dinner and dessert with great friends. I am one blessed and thankful girl!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T13:08:00.007-04:00

Happy Easter Y'all! We saw this video at church this morning and it was too awesome not to share. Hope you all have a great day celebrating! He's ALIVE!

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!" Luke 24:5-6

Staycation

2011-04-20T18:14:00.001-04:00

Since Michael finished his tough rotation of night and day float last week he decided to take a few days of vacation to celebrate and recuperate after a loooong ten weeks. We have made the most of our staycation and had tons of fun even though the weather really couldn't have been worse! (It snowed on Sunday)

We went bowling with our good friends the Kiewiets and Bradleys. This is Luke's girlfriend, Evie.

We spent the night at a ranch/waterpark resort that's about an hour from here and I think it's safe to say Luke was in heaven!

Langley swam for the first time

We ate ice cream before dinner

I think she liked it!

We went and checked out the animals and I couldn't help but crack up watching Luke run around like he owned the place. He doesn't seem to have a shy bone in his body.

I have LOVED having Michael home and even got to go out on hot date with him last night! :) So thankful to be on this journey with him.

A taste of Spring

2011-04-20T17:58:00.001-04:00

We got a little taste of Spring last week but it was short lived and since then has returned to winter weather again! To say I'm sick of winter...geez. We made sure to enjoy ourselves while we had the chance to play outside.

We love our Nana

2011-04-11T15:41:00.002-04:00

I'm telling you what, we have the best family in the world evidenced by our steady stream of visitors we have had to get us through this loooooong winter. Nana came to love on us this past week and we of course had so much fun! We played in the backyard and with Lightning McQueen cars for the most part, and while the kids napped Kellie and I painted!

She is a worker bee and has a way with the paint brush that you wouldn't believe. We decided to paint the front living room at 2:00 one day when the kids went down and we had it done and put back together all before 6:30 when Michael came home. Kind of unbelievable. Anyways, thanks for coming to see us, Nana, we loved every minute and we all felt spoiled when you left. :)

We're having a....

2011-04-07T08:17:00.003-04:00

NEPHEW!!! :) We found out yesterday that Lisa and Daniel are having a sweet baby BOY at the end of September and we couldn't be more excited. Just wanted to post the happy news on here and tell you all to check out their blog which is linked on the right also: http://thecharbonnets.blogspot.com

We love you, Lisa and Daniel, and your sweet baby boy. I can't wait for September!

One more

2011-04-01T10:01:00.001-04:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

They love each other

2011-03-31T20:40:00.000-04:00

I know I've said it before but it is so fun to watch these two become best buds. She watches every little move he makes and he pretty much adores her too. Just wanted to document some of the fun they've been having.

And just because she's turning into such a big girl...

Nothing better

2011-03-26T18:36:00.000-04:00

There was nothing better than a trip from DeeDee to cure some winter blues brought on by the freezing temperatures that returned this week. We loved every second of her visit and packed it full with: a whole lot of playing, mostly with Chuggington trains and Lightning McQueen cars, a little eating out and some shopping too. I like to pretend we get to do everyday stuff like that all of the time and not that there's a 2.5 hour flight between us when she's here. Thanks for coming up to frigid Michigan, Mom! We love you bunches.

Three cheers for Daddy and sunshine!

2011-03-18T17:38:00.002-04:00

We couldn't be happier at our house today because Michael finished nights and we have him home with us the WHOLE weekend! I don't know how he works the long, hard hours he does without complaining but I am so proud of him and HAPPY to have him home. We have also been soaking up sunshine and warmer temps this week. The snow is basically gone and we have enjoyed playing outside almost every afternoon which has made this week fly by, so have a happy weekend again.

grateful

2011-03-11T20:35:00.000-05:00

I have come to appreciate the seasons quite a bit more living up here in the tundra and to say I'm excited about spring being right around the corner would be quite an understatement. I've been noticing tiny buds forming on the bushes and trees and I think it's been God's little reminder to hang in there through this last bit of winter.

In the spirit of being honest, it takes some effort on my part to have this attitude on the tail end of a very long winter, but thank the Lord not only for new life and beauty, but eyes to see it each day.

Thank you Lord for eyes to see my babies each day too. They are changing faster than I would like to admit and lately my prayer is that I would savor these sweet days at home with them despite how trying they can be. I love these munchkins so much I think my heart could burst sometimes.

Have a happy weekend! :)

Sisters are the best

2011-03-10T21:59:00.003-05:00

I just have to say, I think I have the best sisters in the world. Really. :) With Michael's crazy schedule lately it has been such a gift to have both Val and Lisa come see us in the middle of crazy Michigan winter.

Lisa came last week and we had a blast having her here. She came with me to MOPs which was so fun for me and then on Thursday evening we had a Stella & Dot Jewelry party with a bunch of my friends which was also great! I loved getting to introduce her to so many of my friends here.

Over the weekend we went to see the butterflies at Meijer gardens. A little taste of Spring eventhough the snow is still lingering outside.

The rest of our time was spent just hanging out, playing, and doing a little shopping. It was just great to have her here. I am so grateful for family that travels all the way up here to see us so often. The best!

Making strides

2011-02-26T14:40:00.003-05:00

Langley Grace hit the 6 month mark a couple of weeks ago and right on schedule she started doing new things all over the place. She's not really on the move but she can definitely get where she wants to go by rolling. And most of the time the place she wants to go is wherever Luke is. It makes my heart so happy to see their sweet little relationship growing. Oh and as of this weekend she's a sitter. She can sit unassisted for quite a long while. So proud of our big girl.

Speaking of big girl, we had her 6 month check up last week and she was 16lbs. 14oz. (75th percentile) and 27 1/2 in. long which is over the 95th percentile! At this rate she is going to be a TALL girl! Anyways, here are some pics....

With her best bud. :)

Luke started going to preschool on Friday's this semester which has proved to be a wonderful thing all the way around. He absolutely LOVES going and I love having time to spend alone with Langley and if I'm honest, running errands while only having to lug one kiddo in and out of the car isn't so bad either. Anyways, it was pajama day on Friday and Luke was very excited about getting to wear his Buzz jammies. He is looking so old to me lately.

Aunt Val came to town

2011-02-20T19:50:00.000-05:00

Aunt Val came to see us last week to help distract us from this LONG winter and Michael's crazy schedule. We couldn't have been more grateful for her making the trip up here and although we didn't get out and about in the snow too much we had a ball just having her here. A few highlights:

We made some cute Valentines cookies on Monday

the finished product

snuggles

Aunt Val being the good sport she always is jumping in the bounce house.

She helped me start Langley on some solid foods.

Playing army men

And we watched alot of Pixar. :) Cars and Toy Story 3 were on the docket because Val had never seen them.

And Val and I got to have a girls night out and went to see the Princess Diana Exhibit that has been in Grand Rapids for a couple of months which was great! Sadly I didn't get any pictures that night. Thanks for coming Val. We love you bunches.

A little this, a little that

2011-02-13T16:24:00.000-05:00

Trying the jumperoo. She dug it!

Drs. Luke, Langley and Michael Merrick

Langley checking out Woody. Not sure what to think.

We've been doing lots of fort building this winter.

Luke on top of a huge snowpile at the end of our driveway after the blizzard.

Langley tried peas for the first time and did not approve. This is one second before she blew chunks everywhere. Sorry if you're about to eat.

But then she was this happy a few minutes later.

This was our Valentine's snowman. I helped with the decorations in case you were wondering. :) Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow.

Telluride

2011-02-09T21:40:00.002-05:00

I'm sure I'm just beating a dead horse, but the weather around the country lately has been crazy! Last Monday Michael came home from work very concerned that we may not get to fly out to Telluride on Wednesday as planned because of the impending blizzard. I was so glad he thought ahead enough to have us look at flying out a day early because the blizzard proved to be a real doozy. The kids and I flew out Tuesday morning and met my mom in Montrose after a crazy long day spent in the Denver airport. Then we just hoped that Michael and my dad would be able to meet us out there the next day.

Unfortunately Michael didn't ever make it out there because by the time the blizzard passed and flights resumed he didn't have enough time to make all of the travel worth it. It was such a bummer and we sure missed him but the kids and I were glad to have such a special week with DeeDee and Billy.

Luke tried skiing for the first time. He was very proud of himself and did pretty awesome considering he's only 3! :)

DeeDee and Langley matching

Me and my little snow bunny

Billy and Luke went sledding a couple of times.

Me and my buddy wearing matching helmets

We love DeeDee and Billy!

Thanks for loving and spoiling the three of us all week.

Sweet cheeks

2011-01-24T08:44:00.002-05:00

Since we were stuck inside pretty much all weekend with insanely cold temperatures I decided to pass a little time by taking some pictures of my littlest munchkin. Don't worry it was nice and toasty inside, but by insanely cold I mean -8 yesterday morning! I'm pretty sure that was my first experience with sub zero temperatures and I have to admit I'm definitely missing Texas' winter right about now. :) Not a fan. But I am a fan of this little girl.

Sibling love

2011-01-19T14:54:00.000-05:00

I got this video of Langley laughing at Luke last night and just had to post it. She LOVES her big brother. Luke loves her back but also LOVES the attention he gets from her. I get teary every time I watch it thinking about what great friends they are going to be. :)

Luke is 3!!

2011-01-16T21:21:00.002-05:00

Three years ago today our little Luke was born and I'm not really sure how it's possible to go from this:

to this:

in what seems like a blink of an eye.

We had a fun filled Toy Story party with friends that I'll post more about later but for now...Happy 3rd Birthday to our little buddy.

Texas time

2011-01-15T21:41:00.002-05:00

Because I can't seem to get caught up on here I thought I'd just go ahead and do a couple picture posts of what has gone on since Christmas:

We went to Texas and spent a fun filled week with The Merrick side of the fam on Lake Livingston...

Papa is fun

Nanny and Grandad made a special trip down from Ardmore

I got to hang out with my new "sister in love," and Michael got lots of brother time

Luke went fishing with Daddy

and finally caught his first fish

Our sweet friends, Michelle and Paul, came to see us at the lake

Luke "played" his first 9 holes of golf

We got to see our Langley side too and had bunches of fun with them...

Billy and Luke had a movie date and watched Bolt in 3D.

Gigi joined in on the fun too. I'm so sad I didn't get any pictures of Gigi meeting Langley for the first time. We loved getting to see her!

Langley tried on some of Aunt Val's baby clothes

Our time with family always goes by way too fast, but I felt like we packed a lot of fun in this trip. So grateful for such wonderful families.

Our Michigan Christmas

2011-01-07T14:37:00.003-05:00

So it's been quite a while since I got on here to blog but it's not for a lack of pictures or activity. We had a wonderful Christmas and New Years and are finally getting back in to the swing of things around here.

We spent Christmas here in Grand Rapids with our little family of four since Michael had to work. I have to admit I was a bit sad leading up to it about not being with our extended family, but it really was special to start some of our own family traditions this year.

We made cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve and both little helpers seemed to enjoy it.

We went to Christmas Eve service at church and attempted a picture before. This is the best we got.

Christmas morning Luke was up around 5:00 but we convinced him to go back to sleep so Santa had a little bit more time to come to our house. ;)

We got to see what Santa brought first thing. As you can see Luke was pretty excited!

Then we took a break to have "Happy Birthday Jesus" cinnamon rolls.

And the rest of the day was spent opening and playing with fun presents and of course Skyping with both of our families! Thank the good Lord for Skype!

Langley loved her first American Girl doll from Nana and Papa who looks strikingly similar to her I might add,

And Luke loved it all! He was so overwhelmed we had to take a break for a while so he could play with each thing as he opened. Pretty safe to say we were all spoiled by our families.

Michael was on call Christmas night but thankfully didn't get called in until pretty late which gave us plenty of special time as a family. So thankful for our little and big (extended) family and most thankful for Jesus - Emanuel.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T13:18:00.000-05:00

A Langley Grace update

2010-12-20T11:01:00.004-05:00

Sweet little miss is already 4 months old! Hard to believe, and for the sake of documentation:

She's in the 90th percentile for height (25 1/2 in) and 75th for weight (14lbs 10oz). Big and healthy baby girl! :)

She rolled from her tummy to her back right before the 4 month mark. This was the official first roll, and she was not too excited about it but I was happy I got it on camera. Please excuse the dorky commentary.

She loves: her big brother....

smiling ("smiling's her favorite") and squealing.

standing up on your legs, and sleeping. I don't know how we got so lucky but this child is a champion sleeper, and for that I am so grateful. She generally goes down for the night around 8:30 or 9:00 until 6:30 or so, much better than my oldest child did. We love you Langley Grace and are so glad you are in our family.

Buck Fever

2010-12-18T16:06:00.007-05:00

A little while back, as a birthday present, Michael got to meet two of his very best friends from high school in San Antonio to deer hunt on an awesome lease. I could tell Michael was beyond excited about getting to spend a weekend hunting with his buddies and I suppose he should have been because he shot two big bucks and Jay and Caleb each shot one too. All in all a great trip from what I understand.

Although it might have been through gritted teeth that I agreed to let him go, I am glad he got away after all of the long hours and hard work he's been putting in lately. Love you honey bun!

Warning: If you are at all squeamish at the sight of hunted animals I wouldn't scroll down, but I know there are a few people who would like to see these. Namely my Grandaddy. :)

Raise your glass...

2010-12-17T21:37:00.003-05:00

Last weekend Langley Grace and I took a whirlwind trip home so I could stand next to one of my very best friends from high school in her wedding. As expected Kelly was a gorgeous bride and the wedding was perfect to every last detail. It was wonderful to witness their true happiness as they became husband and wife. So glad you found your "lobster" Kell! It was so fun to get to spend time with "the girls" again and it really did feel like not much had changed, except everything kind of has. :)

Although it wasn't long enough Langley Grace got a lot of lovin' in while I was busy with wedding fun. I didn't take enough pictures but she got to see Nana and meet Uncle Jordan too. The shortness of the trip wasn't quite as bad knowing we will be heading back down after Christmas.

Let it snow!

2010-12-05T08:10:00.002-05:00

We had our first decent snow of the season last week and Luke was pretty excited about it!! When he woke up and saw it all he yelled "I gotta find my boots and go make a snowman" without any prompting. The snow was pretty wet so any attempts at a snowman fell apart but we still had fun playing in it.

Langley didn't even notice a difference really. Just a little more cozy than usual.

Kirby was giddy as can be.

and just like last year the snow came right around Michael's birthday.

Happy Birthday Daddy(it was Friday)! We love you and are so thankful for you! Thank you Lord for giving us the perfect husband and daddy for us. Love that I've known you for 11 birthdays. :)

Christmas tree, O Christmas tree..

2010-12-02T19:00:00.002-05:00

For the second year in a row we headed out to Hart's Christmas Tree farm to find the perfect little tree to chop down. I was always a pre-lit Christmas tree fan before (and still am if I'm honest) but I have to admit there's something special about chopping one down and bringing it home to light up and decorate.

This year felt extra special because I couldn't help but remember that the day or two before we went last year was when we found out I was pregnant with Langley Grace. Now a year later here she was all snuggled up in the Ergo on the adventure with us. Thank you Lord for her little life!

On the hunt

Found it!

Daddy got to work

Wasn't in to taking pictures

Taking it home

A cheetah came too...

2010-11-29T18:03:00.000-05:00

We got out Luke's Little People Nativity set this weekend and I had to show you his version of the Christmas Story. :) A cheetah, an elephant, and a farmer came to see Jesus too.

Clyde

2010-11-29T12:28:00.000-05:00

We decided to start the "Elf on a Shelf" tradition this year and I already LOVE it! I heard about this last year but figured Luke was too young. After reading a little more about it, I decided we had to start it this year. The package comes with an elf (we named him Clyde) and a book that explains why an elf comes to live at your house from Thanksgiving through Christmas. The short of it is that the elf flies magically to your home each morning and lands in a new spot. He watches the children throughout the day and flies back each night to the North Pole to report to Santa.

Some of Clyde's hiding spots so far...

Luke has had a blast finding Clyde each morning, and he's on his best behavior in hopes that Clyde gives Santa good reports. :)

Here comes Santa Claus...

2010-11-28T20:17:00.001-05:00

Although Thanksgiving was a bit of a bummer for the Merrick household since Michael had to work we made the most of this weekend and got in the Christmas spirit. We live down the street from this cute part of town called Gaslight Village and on Friday night they had a Christmas kickoff type thing. It was complete with s'more roasting stations, reindeer petting zoo, carriage rides, and pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Michael and I had recently talked about how much fun this Christmas is going to be with Luke because he's at such a fun age and I think we were right. He is SO excited about everything! Having kids really does make everything just as magical again.

Langley Grace was a trooper in the COLD

Biggest marshmallows we've ever seen

I realize this picture is blurry but I had to show you...am I the only one who didn't know there are real reindeer?

He sat on Santa's lap and told him what he wanted (a Buzz Lightyear scooter is at the top of the list) and after we took the picture he didn't want to get down. Much different from the last two years. Too cute.

We're still here

2010-11-26T13:43:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I've gotten on to blog. Not to worry, we're doing fine. Had a happy Thanksgiving even though Michael ended up working most of the day (he was on-call).

Just thought this was cute and wanted to share. She's already got a lot to say. :) Funny girl.

Playroom fun

2010-11-14T12:02:00.000-05:00

Recently we pulled out the Bumbo seat to see if Langley was ready for it and judging by the picture it looks like she was although this happy face only lasted about a minute!

Luke on the other hand thinks all of the baby toys are for him.

And yesterday Luke called me into the playroom to show me that he had lined up all of his cars for a "race." They spread all the way across the room and were all facing the same way. I think we have an anal little bugger on our hands. Just thought it was cute and had to share.

Dance Party

2010-11-10T16:21:00.004-05:00

Lately instead of wrestling when Michael gets home from work Luke has wanted to have a "dance party" upstairs. It all started when Michael showed him how to find the Alvin and the Chipmunks and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Pandora stations on his iPhone. I have to admit it's pretty funny to hear the chipmunk voices singing songs like "Single Ladies." Here are just a few clips of Luke's stellar moves. This shouldn't surprise most of you if you have seen the "moves" Michael and I have in our repertoire. Maybe our kids will be blessed with some rhythm but I'm afraid it won't be from either of their parents.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T22:15:00.001-04:00

We had such a fun Halloween this year I think because Luke is finally old enough to get excited about it. With that excitement came an opinion about his costume though. As if there were any other thing this boy would have wanted to be this year....

When he put his costume on this week he would walk around saying "where's Luke" because he was Buzz. Funny. He also decided that he wanted Langley to be Hamm from Toy Story too. The cutest little piggy-bank I've ever seen. :)

We had some of our good friends over for a little get together tonight and although a little chaotic with so many munchins it was a blast. Luke's best buddy, Cash, was also Buzz this year and I thought this picture was precious. They were soooo excited.

Michael won "awesome daddy" points for dressing up as Woody, much to Luke's delight.

It was most of the kid's first year to go trick-or-treating and it didn't take much explaining before they all got the idea. They kept saying "do we get to go to another house" after each one. We must have had the cutest bunch around don't you think?

And I'll leave you with a picture of our pumpkins. I'm still a loyal Longhorn.

Happy girl

2010-10-29T15:17:00.000-04:00

She wasn't born in Texas...

2010-10-20T14:48:00.001-04:00

but she got there as fast as she could. Langley made her first trip back to Texas last week and I think she liked it a little. :)

We had an awesome time seeing everyone and introducing her to so many people that we love. Sorry for the picture overload, but I know that's what most of you come here looking for anyways.

Cuddling with Billy

Uncle Craig teaching Langley to two step

All of the Langley girls before Lupe Tortilla (except for the littlest one)

Aunt Becky has her dressing in style.

Aunt Val being fun!

Learning to say "wreck 'em" with Uncle Daniel. Not sure how I feel about that.

Just cute.

DeeDee made Luke some Buzz Lightyear cupcakes. Obvi they were a hit!

Surreal to spend time with my high school friends with four babies around. Surreal but awesome!

Auntie Aimee and Auntie Kristen loving on Langley

Special picture with Great Grandmommy and Grandaddy

Yoda Luke practically lived in the pool while we were there.

It sure was a special trip and we miss everyone already! Thanks Mom and Dad!

My Loves

2010-10-09T21:17:00.001-04:00

I promise Michael's not sad in the picture, just watching the Tube. :)

Both of our babies seem to be growing and changing at record paces right now. Thought I'd post a few new pictures! I don't know if it's just me but the second time around seems to be going even faster. I guess it's just that things are that much busier. Slow down little babies.

Hooray for Aunts and Uncles...

2010-10-07T15:02:00.001-04:00

Val and Craig came to visit this past weekend and we definitely did not lack in the adventure department while they were here. Or fun, or spoiling for that matter. Val came baring some adorable and much desired gifts (RC from Toy Story was a HUGE hit and when you see us expect to see Langley Grace dressed better than me for the next 6 months)!

Not sure we could have fit much else in really. I'm also pretty sure Luke is a tad depressed today because his playmate is gone (Val stayed till yesterday).

Val, me and the kids played while the boys went pheasant hunting on Saturday morning. Pretty sure they had a great time and Luke loved watching Mickey with Aunt Val!

We of course did not miss the sorely disappointing Red River Rivalry later that day.

We all had our orange on

Langley loves Aunt Val

The report was the pheasant hunt was a success. Don't those look yum?

We were sure to introduce them to cider donuts from the apple orchard on Sunday and I think it's safe to say they liked them.

Love birds

Aunt Val took one for the team and rode the cow train with Luke! :)

Yesterday we made it out to see some of the art that is being displayed around Grand Rapids right now for this art competition called ArtPrize. It was quite impressive and rounded out an awesome visit! Thanks for coming Val and Craig! We already miss you like crazy.

Super Daddy!!

2010-09-22T09:22:00.016-04:00

Not only does he work crazy hours at a sometimes crazy job, he loves us all so well when he comes home! I knew this rotation was going to be bad but man, when he's home with us he sure turns on his A game. I am so thankful for such an awesome baby daddy (and husband)!

We had another great weekend with him and finally got some sunny (though chilly) weather on a Saturday for us. Went out to Schwallier's Country Basket to pick some apples and see the animals. Have I mentioned how much I love Fall in MI?

Luke pretty much doesn't let Michael out of his sight when he's home so here is proof that they've been stuck like glue (do you guys love that new Sugarland song?).

Earning his keep.

And just because I can't leave out such a cute little love bug! :)

Living for the weekends

2010-09-21T16:09:00.007-04:00

With Michael working nights right now our family mantra has been "just make it to Friday." It is hard on both of us for different reasons but I think it's safe to say I am sooo over this. And, hats off to any single moms out there. This is making me appreciate Michael in a whole new way!

Anyways, we are trying to make the best of our weekends though this past weekend we didn't do much but just enjoyed relaxing as a family of four! Still can't really believe that. :)

Papa lives in DuBai

2010-09-15T10:54:00.002-04:00

I wish I had a recording of Luke saying Dubai but just know it is really cute and funny. Nana and Papa came in town for a really quick visit this weekend for Papa to meet miss Langley Grace. We had a great time relaxing and watching LOTS of football with them since it rained pretty much the entire time. It was a great visit and now they are off to celebrate their 30th anniversary up on Lake Placid. Pretty awesome!

first smirk

2010-09-14T21:34:00.002-04:00

Langley gave me her first on purpose smirk tonight and I'm pretty sure my heart melted into a puddle. It wasn't a full out smile but it was enough for me. I'm in love!! :)

Hook 'em Horns

2010-09-11T15:07:00.003-04:00

Langley's spending her one month birthday rooting on the Horns! :) We've already had multiple outfit changes since this one (we have a spitter on our hands) but I got a picture just in time. Thanks to Paul and Michelle for her first piece of Longhorn paraphernalia.

Moooo cows

2010-09-07T21:09:00.004-04:00

As a last little family outing before Michael started night float we decided to go visit a dairy farm on Saturday morning. Those of you that know Luke know that he has had a weird affinity for cows for a really long time. So when we came across the brochure for this farm a while back we just knew it was right up his ally. To say he liked it would be quite an understatement. Langley Grace and I took a spectator/photographer's seat keeping a safe distance from the cows but still enjoyed a fun little family day.

Documenting

2010-09-07T20:50:00.006-04:00

Langley Grace's umbilical stump fell off a while back and I wanted to document her first official bath. I think she liked it. Alot more than her older brother did at this stage. Look at how much more hair she has! I still can't get over it.

We went to the Dr. on Friday for a check up and she has undoubtedly been packing on the pounds! Up 2lbs since birth weighing in at 9 lbs 1 ounce!! Baby girl likes to eat. :) She still looks tiny next to this monster though.

Funny and sweet faces

2010-09-02T17:04:00.003-04:00

"Hey sweetie cutie"

2010-09-02T11:06:00.005-04:00

Langley Grace is Luke's "sweetie cutie" these days. About 50 times a day he walks up to her and says "hey sweetie cutie" and every time I get the biggest kick out of it. I don't know where he picked that one up but it's pretty adorable. :)

I tried to get a good picture of Luke holding her today but the only shot where one of them wasn't screaming turned out blurry. Oh, well.

Luke's love language...

2010-08-30T11:42:00.004-04:00

is Toy Story toys. Ever since we went to see Toy Story 3 this summer Luke has been OBSESSED with all things Toy Story.

We've definitely used it to our advantage as we finally got him to poop on the potty consistently with a bribe of Toy Story toys, he was given a whole set of them for being a ring bearer in Lisa and Daniel's wedding, and he's received numerous others for being a new big brother!

Needless to say we have a plethora of TS3 memorabilia over here and Luke decided he wanted to share them with Langley yesterday while I was putting the dishes away. :) I'm pretty sure this means "I love you ALOT" in Luke language. (Notice the toy in her hand) Hah!

Changing

2010-08-27T18:57:00.005-04:00

She's changing every day, therefore must post more pictures for the family. :)

keeping 'em coming

2010-08-23T20:42:00.002-04:00

Since we are so far from our family I have had requests for more pictures. I'll just try to keep 'em coming.

The eyes, grandmas, and tomatoes

2010-08-22T21:02:00.011-04:00

I realized 99% of the pictures I've posted of Langley have been with her eyes closed. She really is quite an alert baby and has definite long periods of awake time already. See?

We are still doing really well, just enjoying and getting to know our newest family member. Nana (Michael's mom) is here this week and has already been an AWESOME help! Don't know how I would have survived this transition period without help from the best grandmas in the world! :)

Oh, and if you live in the area and want some tomatoes come on over. We have them coming out of our ears! Nana and Luke are doing our nightly harvest here.

Just cute

2010-08-21T11:25:00.001-04:00

We have TWO kids!

2010-08-18T20:29:00.009-04:00

I don't know if it's completely sunk in yet, but I kind of love having two kids. Things have been going really well around here but my mom has been here for the week keeping our heads above water. :) She left today (not without tears from me and Luke) so we will have a couple of days on our own until Michael's mom comes on Friday. We can't wait for Nana to meet Langley Grace!

We've been keeping busy doing lots of firsts. First sponge bath, walk to the park, tummy time, trip to the Dr. etc. Langley is eating like a champion while sleeping at night is not one of our strong suits just yet. :) We had her one-week check up this morning and while she was 6lb10oz when we left the hospital on Friday, today she weighed in at a whopping 7lb5oz! Her Dr. gave us both a gold star for awesome growing/feeding. She really is so sweet and I am loving all the PINK!

Luke is still loving his baby sister although he told my mom he wanted Langley Grace to go on the airplane to Texas with her. Sorry buddy, she's here to stay. :)

I took this picture of Langley Grace this afternoon and was reminded of this picture of Luke. You can definitely tell they are siblings. :)