today

don't be jeal.

Don't be jealous that I am married to this tall drink of a man. Don't be jealous that it's been 3 glorious years and that it keeps getting better. I know, it's hard.

Happy Anniversary, B!

Tyler - 3 Weeks Old!

Tyler, one week old...already!

Our New Baby!

Tyler Adair Merrell

Born at 11:46am

Thursday, November 18, 2010

8 lbs 14 oz

22 1/4 inches 

  

We can't wait either!

Today was the latter of my two due dates but still no baby! Hopefully we will have an update soon!

Trunk or Treat!

Daddy was a bear, and Johnny was a pumpkin.

Mommy was a witch (we forgot to take a photo).

Hungry for More

For Mom & Marky. Sorry to dissapoint with the last post. It was pretty lame. The sad thing is that it took me for-ev-er to write one paragraph. Ask Brian. It was ridiculous. I should never try to write at night when I'm sleepy. I also haven't been very good about posting pictures lately... or taking them for that matter. I only have a handful from the last few months. And they're all of Johnny. I avoid belly shots at all times. I somehow don't feel like I will regret that... ever! Johnny is so fun these days. He is learning a lot of new words and lots of naughty tricks. He likes to carry the step stool around the kitchen and pop up next to the stove or the sink or wherever I am working to help. He is in the middle of everything I do, actually. Laundry, folding clothes, putting away groceries, cleaning, sweeping, checking the mail, everything! And I love it. It keeps me on my toes. And off of my backside, which is what I really want to be doing these days. He's my little shadow during the day. But as soon as his dad gets home, he doesn't even know I exist. He and Brian play ball, wrestle a LOT, take out the garbage, go on walks and read lots and lots of stories. Right now Johnny is really into word books. His favorite books have animals in them. And when we are out on walks, he can spot any dog within a mile radius of where we are. He definitely doesn't take after me. I still don't like dogs.

What else? Ahhh. Our new house. We love living in Santa Monica. It has been a really easy adjustment for us all. First of all, the apartment is great. I feel spoiled to have so much space. And with more space I feel more organized and the house feels cleaner. And organized and clean = a very happy Caroline. Brian and I both feel like the 3 flights of stairs (from the garage to the 1st floor, from the 1st floor to the 2nd and then up to the loft) are working wonders for our bums... I'm sure you wanted to know that. Although, hauling groceries upstairs with Johnny "helping" is turning out to be my least favorite thing about the stairs right now. Brian's commute is only a few minutes longer each way, so that's been great. Our neighborhood is full of cute houses that we like to look at and dream about. Many of them are currently decked out for Halloween which Johnny loves too!

Honestly, when we chose to live in Santa Monica, it had absolutely nothing to do with proximity to the beach. B and I never go anyway. But I have to say, I am now a convert. We go all the time and it's BEAUTIFUL! It really is. It's breath taking. I love to sit and watch Johnny play in the sand while I think about how cool it is to live on the edge of a continent and see the ocean stretch out endlessly before me... and then inevitably my mind turns to tsunamis and I'm grateful I don't live RIGHT on the ocean because that could be bad news if some day, you know... Oh man, I'm my mother's daughter. For sure.

Another reason we love it here is because we've made some really fun and wonderful friends. We've really enjoyed doing things with them... walking at the beach, going to the park, church events and other stuffs. It's so nice to have friends. I feel really blessed.

Well, now for the pictures.

If I'm lucky, Johnny will look at me when I'm taking his picture. In this one, I said, "smile for Uncle Doug." And he did!

Bath time. Brian gives Johnny his bath every night. After he pulls him out and wraps him up in a towel, he holds him up to the mirror and says, "Look how cute you are!" Johnny gets really shy and smiley. It's precious.
Here he wanted to be wrapped up in a blanket. It didn't last too long because he realized he needed his arms to look at the book:)

Sitting up to the table at Minnie Mouse's house in Toon Town.

Brian's mom sent Johnny this little BYU sweatsuit and he would wear it everyday if he could. Sadly, he always gets a leak in his diaper or falls in a puddle when he's wearing it and I have to change his clothes. He also lives and dies for that bottle!

And why not throw in a quick baby update? Johnny's little brother is only 2 1/2 weeks from making his grand entrance. I think he'll come on or after his due date, just like Johnny did. My doctor tells me he will come any day but I'm not falling for it this time. Why put myself through that horrible waiting game?! Anyhow, Brian and I are really excited but Johnny has no idea what's about to hit him. I hope he adjusts well. He practices with a little baby doll. He give hugs and kisses.

Well, I hope that satisfies a little bit of your hunger for more! xoxo.

The Pumpkin Patch

With just a few days left before Halloween and a few weeks before we are homebound for a while, Johnny and I took a 50-mile drive out of the city to a cute little pumpkin patch in Moore Park. We went with some really fun friends who let us pile into their mini-van for the ride. It was so fun to be out in the open and let Johnny run. There were a lot of animals and pumpkins, of course and a little train ride Johnny loved so much that I almost went into labor trying to pull him off. All the work and effort is worth it to see this little guy smile... or not smile, which is what he decided to do in 32 of the 35 pictures I took :)

New Place

We loved our cute little one-bedroom apartment. We really did. It was cozy and warm. Everything we needed was literally right within our reach. I was sad to leave it behind. I was nervous about putting Johnny in a bedroom all by himself! I was going to miss all the traditions we made in our first home. Like standing on the balcony to say goodbye to our daddy every morning. And welcoming him home the same way every night. We would miss the neighborhood, our walking routes, the park, a Trader Joe's up the street, our friends and neighbors. But then....

We moved into a two-bedroom apartment and suddenly there is a place for everything. It all fits! There's an entire room for the crib... no need to remove any closet doors in the master bedroom to make room for baby! The kitchen table doesn't have to be pushed up against the wall to make room for the office furniture. And the office furniture, isn't in the living room anymore. It's in the office! The kitchen looks and feels more like a kitchen than a hallway and we actually have a hallway too! So I guess I'm trying to say that I sorta like our new apartment and I might have already forgotten all the things I was going to miss. Except the people that we love, of course. They can't be replaced. But the great thing about moving a mere 5 miles away is that we can still see those people! Even if it takes us an hour to get there in traffic :)

Here are a few pictures from the move. Johnny was a huge help!

Packing up the pantry

Stacking boxes

Packing himself for the trip

Mormon Night at Dodger Stadium

Play Ball!

All of the fun wiped "little man" out!

One year ago today we looked like this:

Hard to believe how much a baby can change in one year! Even harder to believe is that next year we'll have 2. Eek!

Johnny Got a New Pony

Johnny loves to ride his new horse. And he likes it when the horsey gallops...really fast!

Catch Johnny Catch!

"Bugga Bugga"

Here is Johnny eating bananas and saying his favorite words...bugga bugga!

Crazy Post

This is Brian and this is a crazy post!

Check out this photo of Johnny:

Isn't he awesome?! He is sporting a Peruvian made hat that says MERRELL, has ear flaps, and thingy on top.

Here is an awesome video of Johnny in one of his new suits:

Crazy, huh?!

Oh yeah, and the craziest thing of all ... Caroline went to the doctor this afternoon for an ultrasound and he sent her home with a cute little picture of our "baby girl." It is labeled "extremities" and highlights something that is unmistakable and rhymes with ping pong. I am thinking that maybe we should name her Richard.

new camera

I think it's time for a new one of these...

The way my photos are turning out these days, I feel like I'm using this one...

I need some camera intervention, folks! So friends, any suggestions? What should I get?! What camera do you use? I need something nice, that can be used by a complete novice (we're talking fool-proof!) and that's not going to cost me my second-born child. And it would really help if it was indestructible and waterproof and so ugly and unappealing that Johnny doesn't want to rip it out of my hands every time I try to take his picture ;) !

Give me some feedback! I'm tired of being jealous of your gorgeous photos.

And if I have to beg.... I will.

We are missing out on major milestones here in the Merrell household. Like the day that Brian gave Johnny a mullet because I couldn't bear to part with the curls in the back...

See what I mean?