Raising him right...

We took this picture of Merrick at Chick-Fil-A earlier today with a sticker someone gave him. We *almost* always eat there while I'm at work on Tuesdays, and Merrick is a fan just like his parents. I think everyone that works there knows how devoted we are to "Chick-Fil-A Tuesday". One of the cashiers told me that Tirzah is going to be born with chicken feathers. I don't think I'd mind if she did have feathers at this point, as long as she shows up SOON. :)

Car Surfing

Merrick and I were out in the yard playing around, and headed out the check the earwig mail box when Billy got home from work today. Merrick is always SO excited to see "Da" when he gets home. So I thought it would be fun for Merrick to ride *very slowly* up the driveway on the top of the car, with me walking beside him of course:

Merrick always has to turn everything into some kind of extreme sport...so this is how it ended up:

It seems appropriate to me that his shirt in this picture says "I Love Danger". *This was a present from Grandma, who thought it was made for him* He didnt want to get off the top of the car...but since it's Mow-the-Grass Monday, we were able to talk him down with a ride on the mower.

Sweet Dreams

I snuck in Merrick's room last night and snapped some pictures of him sleeping. It's one of the rare moments when I don't need to be on the run to get a picture of him. He didn't even flinch, he's had such a long day *no nap at all!*

As his father so appropriately worded it just now when he saw these: "Aw...guy is getting ready for a busy day of terrorizing tomorrow". So true. :)

Kajabe and The Blob

Just some footage of the craziness that is the students at 180. They had a blast at camp this past week, playing a game called "Kajabe Kan Kan" and playing on The Blob. We were accused of being a "stoked youth group", which made us really proud. :) They are a great bunch of kids, and we just wanted to show them off a little. Here is some pictures of them tonight playing Kajabe after youth group:

And here is a YouTube Video of them on the Blob at camp:

Flying Fish Sharks

Last night we took Merrick out to Bass Pro Shops to eat dinner and look at the "sheesh". (Sheesh is Merrick for fish, fyi.) We've planned a family trip later this summer to go to a real aquarium, but for now Bass Pro will have to do:

Merrick loves "sheesh", and we can't go in Wal-Mart without making a stop at the pet department. We went out even though Merrick had napped for only about an hour today...very stupid brave of us. Here are my guys waiting for our table:
The pre-dinner sheesh viewing went well, but then once it came time to sit still and eat, the sheesh hit the fan. Merrick lost it, to say the least. Thankfully we were with a big group, and were in a room by ourselves. I inhaled my dinner and then went back to the fish tanks with Merrick to try and preserve some of my sanity/dignity. :) There is this one huge tank in the middle of the restaurant that's pretty cool, and lots of fake fish/sharks, etc that are hanging from the ceiling. Merrick has obviously been around airports too long, because he was calling the giant hammerhead shark that was on the ceiling an "airplane". Kind of gives new meaning to flying fish. We made it out alive, with only a bit of indigestion. Here is Merrick, pre-meltdown, checking out the fish tank:

Next time...if there is a next time...we'll make sure we nap before we make any public appearances. :)

Picasso of the Tub

Merrick isn't much into coloring...and it's not usually in my best interest to let him color either. Markers/crayons end up on whatever they aren't supposed to be on. *tables, walls, bodies, etc* I figured I couldn't go wrong with markers that you use in the tub, however:
As usual it didnt hold his attention for long, and he was distracted from his giant mess work of art by his loofah...Then while Mommy was distracted, and cleaning up said work of art, I heard something hit the floor. I came around the corner to find this:Merrick hanging by a thread off the kitchen table. Of course I had to take a picture. He was laughing, so I didn't feel so bad leaving him hanging for just a second. ;) He had climbed up there trying to get his favorite things: paci and bear, and the chair managed to get away from him. He does all his own stunts. :)

Roadkill?

This photo was taken earlier today while we were at work. Billy was in the car, driving it up to the curb, and Merrick just walked right in front of it and put his hands on the grill. Billy knew he was there, so I wasn't worried, but I do think someone needs to learn to have a little healthy fear of giant pieces of metal that can crush you moving vehicles. :)

Believe it or Not

I took this video just a few minutes ago while Billy and I were putting Merrick in the bed:

Merrick is not the poster child for snuggliness, if that is even a word, but last night when Billy laid his head on Merrick acting like he was a pillow, Merrick wouldn't let him get up. He kept holding on to his neck so that he would keep snuggling. He's done this the last two nights. We're not sure what's gotten into Wild, but we thought it was pretty cute and wanted to share this rare snuggly moment since it may not happen again anytime soon. :)

Everyone is Normal...

...until you get to know them. I think that is particularly true in the case of "Uncle Cam". Cam, as most of you know, is my sister Anna's boyfriend. They are practically engaged, so we call him uncle Cam to Merrick. Merrick and Cam are terribly jealous of each other, always fighting for Anna's attention. Merrick throws a hysterical fit if Cam comes anywhere near his auntie. We were hanging out with them over at Mom's house yesterday, when Cam pulled one of his usual stunts:
*You notice in the background of the above picture, that no one is even paying attention to Cam trying to cram his entire body into Merrick's plastic car. He's always doing something like this, so we're pretty used to it. :)*

At least it kept the two of them distracted from fighting with each other for a few minutes. ;)

Baby Daddy

Happy Father's Day!

"Train up a child in the way which he should go
and when he is old he will not depart from it"
Proverbs 22:6

Family Reunion

Billy *and the rest of the family* are finally home from camp! They had a great trip, and are all covered in bruises and bug bites. *Which is the way camp is supposed to be I think :)* It is great to have Billy back home. I no longer have to sleep with all the lights on, kill bugs myself, check the earwig-box mailbox, or ask random strangers to rub my feet, *just kidding...sort of*, or be the only person chasing Merrick around the front yard. Merrick was glad to have "Da" back too. He wouldn't even let Billy in the bathroom alone for awhile. This is a picture of Merrick waiting at the door for Billy while he was outside on the phone:
This is a few pictures I took of the two of them having a wrestling match in the bed earlier this morning. I'm not so good at wrestling these days, so Merrick was missing it this week. ;)Hope everyone is having a great Saturday! :)

NOW I know...

...how to get Merrick to read! :) Give him a book about tractors, trucks, and other assorted farm equipment. I love to read, and have always wanted Merrick to take a break from his busy schedule of climbing like to read at least a little. Maybe this is my solution:

Behind Bars

Just a little picture of our day. Glad it stopped raining and Merrick was able to be freed for awhile. I think we were mutually tired of being stuck in the house together. We can't wait until the aunties, Mamoo *that would be Grandma* and Billy are home from camp tomorrow. We've missed them, and I think *for my own sanity* I need a nap that's not interrupted by Merrick kicking the wall that's in between our rooms. :)

Rainy Days

We've had lots of rain the last few days. Kinda leads to Merrick and I having cabin fever. He is like a caged beast...he needs to be set free as often as possible. ;) He has learned what "rain" is, though, and this video was of him in the car letting us know it was, in fact, raining. I think maybe he could be a meteorologist...they're only right part of the time anyway. ;)

Taking the Plunge

Merrick usually just plays with this dinosaur pool in his room. It's full of all the various bouncy balls, footballs, and farm animals that he plays with. We took it outside yesterday, though, and filled it up with water. He had a great time, and bugged me so much about "wa-wa" *water in Merrick-ese* that we filled it up again today. Here are some pictures from our pool party on the back porch: