"Cherish"

I dont know if there could be a better word to describe how I feel about the children God has blessed me to be with everyday.
They make me laugh. They make me cry. They make me think. They make me choose to be a better person.
I told Z. today ,as she was making wishes for her tomorrow, that my wish was, that I could keep her little like she is forever.
She just smiled at me.
That is how I want to keep her.

Somedays, though, I wonder just how I will make it through one more 2year old tantrum without knowing where D.'s stash of Swiss chocolate is hidden.
Most times are like this week though, lots of laughs, lots of learning.
(Yes, the dog is sticking her tongue out at You!)
When I asked Z. about her Sunday school lesson today she told me that only the "mini kids" got to help with sharing time. She is big into helping so it was devastating. I couldnt stop my laugh long enough to show my sympathy though. Mini kids! She is tall for her age but come on, they are only like a head shorter, and those are the 3 year olds! I think the Starwars minikits and the nearby minipark has got her thinking mini.

(Peek a boo is still fun!)

S. has a new way of talking that may seem confused. She asks for help "up-ing" and help "off-ing". Makes sense when I think of her other actions. Playing,Running, Crying. The most funny to me is "lunching" which is telling me I better have some dinner planned 'cuz its too late, she's starving.

(Science Fair display,and glowbracelet(?))
N. came home from school dying to tell me all about pajama day. In the early grades its awesome to get to wear your pjs, its not as cool though to a 4th grader. Well, thats not exactly true, if you wear the wrong type of pjs its not as cool. He had my favorite "trying not to let my whole face crack because of my giant smile" look on, as he described one of the older kids zip up-footed "the kind that everyone hates", "like from the 60's or 90's" pjs. 60's or 90's?! Anyways, I just love that kid!

(Not the tallest Merrill, just the most heart)
T. got in on a conversation we were having about the dog and her knees and hips. Her legs are small and her body is big which can make it tough. She young and sporty (aka RocketDog ) but it causes worry when the kids pick her front legs up and make her dance on her little back legs.( I think I am a protective mother since she can beg at the gate to be let out on just her back legs just fine, she is actually jumping like 2 feet in the air over and over, just fine) So, we described her knees as "grandma" knees to the kids to give them a visual connection to grandma in a wheelchair and Izzy after "dancing". T. understood very well , he even came up with his own visual. "Daddy has grandma knees!". I havent heard a moan out of D. about his old, creaky knees since!

Cherish Each Day with Your Families

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"Near the end of his life, one father looked back on how he had spent his time on earth. An acclaimed, respected author of numerous scholarly works, he said, 'I wish I had written one less book and taken my children fishing more often.'

"Time passes quickly. Many parents say that it seems like yesterday that their children were born. Now those children are grown, perhaps with children of their own. 'Where did the years go?' they ask. We cannot call back time that is past, we cannot stop time that now is, and we cannot experience the future in our present state. Time is a gift, a treasure not to be put aside for the future but to be used wisely in the present."

Thomas S. Monson, "Dedication Day," Ensign, Nov. 2000, 66

Learning to sew

....seems like a great talent to work on, at least that is what I think most days when I see Z.'s newest creations. Typically its a small pillow, doll shirt or a quilt piece. Lucky T. got the Bright Orange Hat this time!

It really does fit him very well, its just that Cub Scout Pack meeting isn't really a place to blend in when you are in the Bright Orange Hat. Why can't we all(meaning mom) walk around feeling so well pleased with ourselves and the Hat maker, no matter where we happen to go?



Because this same kid started talking 6 months ago and hasn't stopped, most of the shots we have of him are with his cute little mouth explaining something to the camera.

Here he is explaining his itchy hives and how he might be 'lergic to sand,shoes,sleeping,milk,seatbelts, you name it. It turns out it was strawberries. Glad we got it figured out, the hives in his mouth and throat were making mom a little nauseous. No one should gag on their lunch and then try again and again to get it down, at least not around mom.




And finally some pictures of the 2 youngest outside. Spring has been so looked forward to! (D&C 59:18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart)

This is one of like 3 days it hasn't been freezing and windy since the official start of the season. The poor tramp must feel neglected. A good dose of jumping seems to cure a lot of ugly symptoms around here(pediatrician disagrees) like whining, arguing, common boredom and others. Mom even takes a turn now and then, dad too, but dads version of jumping always follows with some kind of twisty flippy thingies that mom disagrees with( and same stated pediatrician). He is 35(!)years old , you know.
Sweet doggie face wants in on the action. She loves to get on the tramp , and can easily, but then gets all nervous and cant figure out what to do next. It's like she thinks she is one of the kids and doesn't want to miss out on the action.

"This might actually be fun"...

emphasis on might.





Logan Canyon is an excellent place year round. Z. might have been unbelieving at first but I think her face tells the truth of her visit to the Hobbit Caves.

N. ended up with legs covered with scratches from the rock and branches, but he swore he couldn't even feel them. Too much fun, I guess.


T. tried his best to keep up with the older 2. This is definitely a magical place for him, cliffs, river, caves, rocks, you name it.

C.C. wasn't quite as convinced that going into a cave was a good idea. She did love that she could see the kids on the cliff above, through a hole in the rock.

3(not including the pup) looking at the camera at once is like a record for us.
What a variety of beauty God created for us on this planet. We are so blessed to be able to enjoy so much, so close to home (after chores are finished of course!).

P.S. Thanks to Daddy for taking away from study time to share this fun spot.

Helping hands in Grandmas garden

Sweeping.
Vrooming.
Exploring.
None of this actually counts as Helping though, unless the Cuteness counts.

"Mine" and other fine new words.

I'm afraid my children aren't the best of examples for their cute sweet cousin.
I'm not so worried about N.'s junk food and video game habit rubbing off but the other kids I do worry about.
Along with showing her how to kill herself on the stairs, they also taught her the word "Mine", and flinging off of the edge of chairs.
There were many more, and because I can see into the future(my kids wonder all about this great talent of mine) I know there will be many more to come.
Sorry Cuz'!

Your Birthday comes just once a year

...but if you're really lucky you can have your birthday and an ear infection or two also.

Her new psycho motorized hamster (who's name I wont try to spell ) sure brought a smile even if the antibiotics did not.
Listening to her sing "Happy Birthday" to her dollies makes me want to freeze time and keep her 2 forever.
I am so blessed to have to felt her soft arms squeeze around my neck and her light hair tickle my face for 2 years already, boy does time fly.

A little taste of Heaven

.....although I like to think that it will be less noisy in Heaven.
T just cant stop talking about his grandpa, who shares his same "T".

Fortunately for grandpa, N. was the only grandkid missing the fun, otherwise the smiles would be looks of smashed pain.
Don't they even look angelic (due to the sliding glass door ) with their light halos?