Family Update/Memorial Day

A little Father/Son study time...

Watching morning cartoons together in the laundry basket.

He took a chunk out of a crayon and got mad when Mommy took it away.

Move over, Backstreet Boys!

Just in case you haven't already heard, John finally got his grade back on the section of his CPA exam that he took back in April. It is my privilege to announce that HE PASSED!!! He got an 82! He takes the last two sections this weekend--one on Friday (he has to go to Lubbock for this one), the other on Saturday. If he passes these two sections he'll be all done! We are so grateful to all of you who have supported John and kept him in your prayers all this time. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family members and friends in our lives.

My dad called from Israel yesterday. (Only four more days until he comes home!!!) We passed the phone around and even let Jonathan talk to his Paw-Paw. It was one of the sweetest moments! I wasn't sure if Jonathan would actually talk to him, but he carried on a full conversation. Of course, I was only able to hear one side--mostly "Yeahs" and "Okays", and he even ended with "I love you" and "Bye." I asked my dad if Jonathan actually seemed to understand him and he said that Jonathan responded appropriately to every question. His talking is really improving!

Jacob is officially crawling, and he is all over creation! He discovered the dog's food and water bowls the other day. I walked into the kitchen just in time to catch him take the water bowl and pour it all over himself! I was hoping at least one of our children would ignore those bowls, but (unfortunately) it looks like both of our boys have been fascinated by them.

Today was Memorial Day. Usually our family has a cookout or something, but with my dad being gone and John having to spend the day studying, we didn't plan anything special this year. The boys and I put on patriotic shirts, and we went with my mom and my Nana out to the cemetery to visit my Paw-Paw and put flowers on his grave. Since he was a Vet, we took a small flag to put out. Jonathan got to hold onto it until Nana was ready to put it in with the flowers. It was kind of a special time for me because I haven't been out to the cemetery in a while, and it was the first time the boys got to "meet" Mommy's Paw-Paw. Afterwards, the boys and I went out to eat with Nana, and Mom got ready to go to her parents' (Grandmama & Granddaddy) house. At the restaraunt, Nana called my cousin, Lacy, on her cell. We got her voice mail, and Jonathan left a special message for Cousin Lacy: "Hi, Lacy."

Milestones

Well, Jacob has achieved another new milestone in his young life. Little man is now officially mobile! He finally started crawling the other day!!! I am so proud of him. The little guy has been working so hard lately to get his chubby little legs to cooperate with him, and he finally tasted the victory of success! I have a short video of him starting to crawl for the first time. The video on our camera doesn't record sound, though, and Jakey gets a little shy when the camera is on him. I can't find the USB that connects the camera to the computer at this moment, but as soon as I find it, I will post the video as well as a few new pics of the boys at play. Now if I could just keep the boy away from our glass coffee table...
I'm nervous now because both of my boys are going to be constantly on the move. I now have not just one I have to keep constant tabs on, but two. I see good times ahead! Oh, and one thing more--Jacob finally got two more teeth in on the bottom! Now he's evened out: 4 on top, 4 on bottom.

Jonathan has a new game he likes to play--"boucnin' on Mommy!" (It's really more like tackling than bouncing...) I thought rough-housing was something boys did with their daddies. Jonathan will rough-house with John somewhat, but lately I'm the one he likes to pounce on. It's fun for a while, but I don't know how much more of it my poor body can take. I think I'm going have to nip this particular game in the bud before somebody gets hurt. "It's all fun and games..."

John is set to take two sections of his CPA exam this month. He takes one on Friday, the 29th (he has to go to Lubbock for that one) and another on Saturday, the 30th. If he passed the last section he took (which he still has no grade on), and if he passes these next two sections and the grades come back in time (it only gives them 3 weeks to get both grades back)--he will be completely done and will officially be a CPA!!! Please pray that God will give John the strength that he needs to get through this and (should it come to this) the will to keep pressing on.

We are less than a month away from Marshall & Kristin's wedding! John's already been fitted for his tux, and he's already booked our hotel room for that weekend. Vacation Bible School starts the Sunday we come home, and I'm teaching a 1st & 2nd grade class. We'll probably get back into town around 2:00 that afternoon, and that will leave me with three and a half hours to get my room decorated and line up with my kiddos to march in. Whoo-hooo! This will be Jonathan's first real year in VBS, and I hope that he's going to have a wonderful time. My dad's in Israel right now. (This is like his fifth time over there.) He went so he'd learn how to lead a group on his own, which he's planning to do Spring Break of 2010. I got an e-mail from him this morning, and he's having a blast!

Love to all our family and friends out there!

Mother's Day

This was my third Mother's Day, and I just have to say I think it was the best one yet! My gift from John and the boys arrived at our door on Thursday afternoon: two dozen beautiful red roses, bubble bath, shower gel, bath caviar, and a little box of chocolates! (Do my guys know how to spoil me or what?!?) Jonathan and Jacob even made cards for me with their little handprints on them. During our worship service Sunday morning we had a dedication ceremony for all the parents who wanted to dedicate their babies ages two and under. (This is something our church has done for the past several years now.) John and I were thrilled to dedicate Jonathan on the Mother's Day after he was born, and this year we were just as thrilled to dedicate Jacob. There's just something about dedicating your child on Mother's Day that makes that day extra special. For lunch we all went to my Nana's house and my dad made steaks on the grill. For Mother's Day presents this year John and I got our moms little heart-shaped music boxes (I'm not sure I could even tell you now what song they played), and we also got our grandmothers a little something. My grandmothers each got a little heart-shaped plaque with a special saying on it, and since this was John's first Mother's Day with his biological grandmother, she got something a litte more special--a jewelry box that plays music and has a special saying about grandmothers on it. After lunch we spent the afternoon delivering all the gifts, then we headed up to the hospital. Our music minister's wife got an extra special Mother's Day gift this year--a brand new baby boy! It was a long day--for all of us--but it was a good one. We hope all of the mothers in our lives had a good Mother's Day. You're all so precious to us, and we love you very much!!!

Jacob's 9-Month Check Up

Jacob had his 9-month check up yesterday. I am pleased to report that we had an easy--and perfectly healthy--visit! Little man has dropped off a little in the height and weight department (he's now in the 25th percentile for both), very much like his big brother did. Jakey now weighs 18 lbs, 15 oz. and is 27 in. long. He's still gaining and growing, but not quite as rapidly as he has been up until now. (I think he gained only a little more than a pound and an inch over the last three months. Of course he did get pretty sick in the middle of that three months...) Even though he still looks a little chunky to me, it's looking like Jacob is going to be on the skinny side--like his brother. Just to make sure he's not just having trouble gaining weight, we're going back in next month so his pediatrician can do a weight check. There was only one thing about Jacob's visit that made me a little nervous. Dr. Hoving checked his eyes once during the visit (like always), but before she got up to leave she grabbed the flashlight and checked them again. I asked if his eyes were okay, and she told me they were fine, but Jacob has a condition (I can't even tell you what the medical term for it is) where one eye appears to turn inward--though it really doesn't. The doc can tell that his eye is normal because the light is symmetrical on his eye, so the whole inward thing is just an illusion at this point. She said as he grows the problem should correct itself. But if it doesn't (or if I notice that his eye looks like it's going inward all the time) he could possibly develop a lazy eye. It's nothing to worry about now, but it is something we need to watch out for.

Jacob is up to six teeth now (4 on top, 2 on bottom), with more on the way. He is eating a wide variety of foods now--including more table food. He loves toast, cheerios, mac & cheese, animal crackers, banana pudding, and even some chicken! (Yes, we're starting to add meat to his diet now!) He's not too wild about scrambled eggs; mostly he just picks at them. Whereas Jonathan is our picky child (about the only thing I can get that boy to eat well these days is peanut butter & jelly sandwiches), Jacob is a little more open to trying new things. Hopefully he won't be as much of a picky eater. We're also trying to get Jakey used to the idea of drinking from a sippy cup. He got so grabby with Jonathan's cup that I went out and bought him a couple of transition cups. I try to give him a little juice a couple of times each day. He mostly just plays with his cup--if he acknowledges it at all. But I'm hoping he'll move to a sippy cup faster and easier than little Jon did.

The boys are getting to the point where they are actually starting to play together. Jonathan is still not too big on sharing, though. I've got my work cut out for me, I guess. This summer I'm also going to try to "homeschool" Jon a little bit. We've got a new Christian bookstore in town that sells materials to help parents work with their kids on things like the alpahebet and numbers and colors...I think I'm going to try and sit down with him and see how far I can get with that. He can already count to 5, and he can tell you how old he is; he can even recognize a few letters of the alphabet. As far as his colors go, I still don't know which ones he can actually see and which ones he only has memorized. (We still don't know to what extent--if any--he's color blind, and we may not know for sure for a couple of more years. And we get to go through all of this again with Jacob!) John and I are still talking about the possibility of preschool for Jonathan. He also starts AWANA in the fall, and Vacation Bible School is only a month away. I want him to be able to actually "do" the things other kids his age may be doing.

The boys were also supposed to have their first official sleep-over this weekend. John and I are going to Midland next month for John's brother's wedding, and my parents offered to keep the kids. The only problem is that we're going to be gone for two nights and three days--so my parents would have them all weekend. They've never spent the night away from home before, and we're not sure how they'd do. This weekend was supposed to be a trial run, with my parents having the option to call us if the boys are having a hard time getting through the night. However, both my dad and John are sick right now, and passing germs back and forth is probably not the best idea. My dad is going back to Israel on Tuesday, and we really don't want him getting sick while he's over there. If we're still going to do the trial run overnighter before we leave for the wedding, my mom may be going at it alone. (BTW, neither John nor my dad appears to have the swine flu--or any other flu for that matter. Both cases sound suspiciously like food poisoning.)

Anyway, I think that just about covers everything that's been going on with us here lately. It's time once again for me to handle the lunch rush around here and get the boys ready for their naps. Until next time, lots of love and hugs and best wishes!

Weekending

He looks so tiny in the great big king size bed!

Mommy & her boys--hanging out at the hotel.

Science Spectrum--I think the daddies were having more fun than the kids at this point!

Jonathan & Rory checking out the treehouse.

Abby & Jonathan banging on the big drum.

This past weekend was an awesome one for the Merriss family! We met up with our very good friends--the Hanna family--and took a weekend-long roadtrip to Lubbock. We arrived around dinnertime, so after checking into our hotel we had dinner at the Japanese restaurant Ohanas (Lubbock's version of Kabuki). Jonathan was more interested in the chef cooking our food at our table than he was in actually eating the food! The chef really played up to him too--trying to get him to catch a piece of chicken in his mouth, playing with fire, making a volcano out of onions, and even spelling out "I love you" in the food. Jonathan started mimicking him halfway through the service, trying to cook just like the chef was. Jacob got his first taste of Japanese food and apparently loved it! I let the little guy have a sampling of my soup and he quickly became addicted. He wound up splitting it with me!

We stayed in a really nice Super 8 Motel. Our room had a jacuzzi (sp?) in it! (I soooo want one of those for our house!) It was the boys' first time ever to stay in a hotel. I think they had a blast. The kiddos got together for a "slumber party"--they stayed up until about 1:00 in the morning watching VeggieTales! Afterwards all four of us slept together in the giant king size bed. For as small as the boys are they sure do take up a lot of room! I had Jacob either on me or slightly off to one side of me all night long, and Jonathan slept in between John and me. Sometime during the night he wound up with his feet on the pillows and his head either down in the blankets or propped up on my hip. Yes, it was an interesting night. Needless to say, neither John nor I got very much sleep that night. After breakfast the next morning we tried out the hotel's indoor pool. John took both of the boys out in the water. Jonathan did pretty good until John attempted to put his head under water. After that, Jonathan pretty much wanted to stick close to the steps, where he could put his feet down (and he wanted to be wherever "my Taira" was).

After lunch we took the kids to the Science Spectrum, which is kind of like the Discovery Center in Amarillo only bigger and (I think) a little bit better. There are all kinds of exhibits and activities. You can also watch a 3-D movie on a huge screen with your seat moving to interact with the movie. (That part is called Omnimax. We decided not to go for the movie though; we worried the kids would be a little scared.) There's even a play room for kids under five. The kids did pretty good, but we went to Science Spectrum late in the day before heading back home and none of the kids had had a nap, so there were a handful of meltdowns (mainly from Jonathan). In the end, I think he had a pretty good time in spite of it all. Next time we'll remember to take the kids first thing in the morning! :)

We had a really wonderful weekend, and hopefully we'll be able to do it again soon. Now we have to get back in the groove of things back here at home. I'm trying to get the house somewhat back in order. Jonathan and Jacob are trying to get back into their routines. And John is leaving for California in the morning--thankfully only for a day (he has to do an inventory count on Thursday, but he's on a plane home first thing Friday morning). Reality is not nearly as much fun as a weekend getaway.

Midland & A Movie Weekend

This past weekend at the Merriss house was a long one. John's brother is getting married in June, so his mom and I went to Midland for the bridal shower. We spent four hours in the car, another four hours in Midland, and then four more hours in the car on the way back home. It made for a long, exhausting day but we had a good time. Kristin is a lovely girl, and I'm looking forward to having her for a sister-in-law.

John got the boys all day while I was gone. It was kind of a mixed blessing for me. On the one hand, I had a long break from the boys; on the other hand, I'm so used to having one kid attached to my hip and the other attached to my hand that I didn't really know what to do with myself. They didn't give Daddy too much trouble until about dinnertime. It was then that they decided to melt down. In the end, I knew John would be able to handle it. He's a terrific father. I don't think he's ever going to let me go away all day like that again, though (lol)!

Our church had a movie night this past Sunday. We watched the movie "Fireproof", starring Kirk Cameron. This was like the third or fourth time John and I have seen the movie. We highly recommend it for anyone who is married or even thinking about getting married. When we came home, we brought all the cheese and chili that was leftover from the concession stand with us. We've got enough to last us about a month! Anyway, "Fireproof" is an awesome movie with a really powerful message. We're doing a small group Bible Study based on the movie starting this week. John and I are leading a Sunday morning session. (Please keep us in your prayers!) It's a six week study, and I'm really excited about it. I think it's going to be awesome!

This Friday John is sitting for another section of his exam, then we're off to Lubbock for the weekend! It'll be the boys' first time in a hotel. We're planning to take them to Science Spectrum on Saturday. I've only been once myself, and that was about 14 years ago. I hope it will be a lot of fun for the kiddos.

Family Update

Jonathan went to the doctor today for his three year check up. Thankfully we made it through a doctor's visit without anyone being sent to the hospital! He is just growing like a weed!!! At three years old, Jonathan stands at 37" and weighs in at 30 lbs. (He's in the 25-50th percentile for both height and weight.) His speech is really on a roll. He can even speak in small sentences now! He's at the age now where he's ready to start seeing a dentist. So we're looking for a good pediatric dentist. Our pediatrician gave us the name of someone we might check out. He acts like he can recognize some of his colors. We still don't know what he can actually see and what he has memorized, though. There's a 50/50 chance he's color blind. (My dad is color blind, and I carry the gene. Jacob also has a 50/50 chance of being color blind. Good times ahead!) My Nana has a test we can give him to check for it, but he may still be too young to be able to take it. Our pediatrician suggested taking him to an opthamologist; they might be able to do an early test for color blindness. She recommends waiting awhile on this though, because most kids don't really have their colors learned until the end of their third year. The poor guy also had a heppatitus shot today. He came out of that office with a sucker, a treasure from the treasure chest in the nurse's station, and a sticker from the front desk. Yes, he had quite a day!

Jacob is still trying to crawl. He hasn't quite taken off yet, though. I put him down for a nap the other day and laid him on his tummy like I always do. I could hear his pacifier drop, and then he started fussing so I went in to check on him. That boy had managed to push himself up into a sitting position (first time he's done that), and he was clear at the other end of the bed! Whenever I put him on the floor to play, he always ends up on his tummy. He'll start reaching out for something--moving towards it--and end up flat on the floor. He'll also get up on all fours and start rocking. (Jonathan did that right before he started crawling.) No, it won't be long now.

Tax season is finally starting to wind down!!! They're having a end-of-tax-season party at one of John's co-worker's homes tomorrow evening to celebrate. John is taking Thursday and Friday off so he can focus on studying for his CPA exam. Only 2 weeks to go until he sits for the next section. On Saturday I'm going to Midland with my mother-in-law. John's brother is getting married in June, and his bride-to-be's shower is Saturday! That's pretty much what's going on in our world right now. (Aren't we exciting?!?) Love and hugs to all our family and friends out there!!!