Anniversary Weekend

The boys each hit a new milestone over this last week, and I just have to share. It took a little longer than we were hoping, but now...Jacob is finally walking!!! He started taking a few more steps and trying to stay upright more around Thanksgiving, and now he's just going all the time. Sometimes he'll get really excited and try to take off and run, but if he tries to go too fast he just ends up tripping over his own two feet. It's so cute to watch him, though, and it's such a relief that he's finally doing it. It looks like there will be no MRI for that little guy come February. Praise the Lord! It dawned on us this past Sunday that Jonathan will be four years old in about four months. And that means that he is going to be too big to go into the nursery. Now on Sunday mornings he'll have Sunday School and Children's Church, and on Wednesday nights he'll have either AWANA or KidStuff. But on Sunday evening activities like The Lord's Supper or Christmas plays, etc., he'll be too big to go into the nursery and will have to come into "big church" with all the grown-ups. So we decided to let him have a trial run at "big church." The kids' Christmas play (which Jonathan will be old enough to participate in next year) was last night, and we figured it was a perfect time for his first attempt. Paw-Paw Davis was dancing in the play and Jonathan wanted to see it. He did sooo good! He sat quietly on Daddy's lap for most of the play. He sat in his own seat a little bit, and he climbed onto Mommy's lap at the very end. He even tried to do some of the motions to the last song! We're having a special candlelight Lord's Supper on Christmas Eve, and that will be another wonderful learning opportunity for Jonathan. We are planning on letting him come into that service as well. Our boys are growing so unbelievably fast. It's so hard to believe they're going to be 4 and 2 before too long...

John and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary over this past weekend. It's also hard to believe that five years have already gone by. Since it was a "landmark" anniversary for us, we decided to do something special. We decided to get away for a little while, so we spent Friday and Saturday in Lubbock. On Friday night (our anniversary), we went to a movie ("Brothers") and then to dinner at Texas Land and Cattle. Then on Saturday--since we were sans kids--we got our Christmas shopping out of the way before heading home. We are so grateful to my mom and Nana for taking care of the boys while we were gone. It was so wonderful to have a little time to ourselves. Thank you to my wonderful husband for putting up with me these last five years. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us over the years to come!

Blessings to all of our family and friends during this very special time of year. From our family to yours: Merry Christmas!!!

Thanksgiving 2009

The boys w/my cousin Lacy.

Watching the "Cars" movie after the Cowboys' game.

Playing in the Christmas tree's box.

Yeah, I don't think she knew I was taking this picture until she saw the flash...

Tadadada....Super Jonathan!!!

Jacob trying to figure out how to get back in the box.

Jacob & my cousin Lauren.

Jonathan being Jonathan.

This year, for the first time EVER, we had Thanksgiving at my parents' house. They are remodeling their kitchen, and my dad wanted to show off the new look--so he and my mom hosted Thanksgiving dinner. My mom's parents also came, and (another first for us) John's parents came, too. Everyone made part of the meal. My contribution (you guessed it--another first) was the relish tray. My mom usually makes it, but since she made the turkey this year and I had to actually be a grown-up, the relish tray was my job. It was actually something I couldn't ruin. One more big first for us this year: my Granddaddy made a deep-fried turkey. None of us had ever had a deep-fried turkey before, so it was awesome to get to try it this year. It was absolutely delicious. Really, we all had a hard time telling the difference between Granddaddy's turkey and Mom's turkey. Both were soooo good.

After lunch, we all watched the Cowboys/Raiders game. (My brother and his wife alternate holidays they come up here for. They're coming for Christmas this year.) Aaron & Allison were at the game. We looked for them on TV but never did see them--go figure. The next day was "Black Friday." I do not like crowds, and I refused to go out and shop. My mom, Nana, aunt and cousins did shop, but they didn't get out insanely early. I, John, the boys, my dad, and a friend of Lacy's met them all at Kabuki for lunch early that afternoon and that was the extent of our "Black Friday." Later that evening all of us--minus Lacy, who spent the night w/a friend--got together to watch "The Burb's." Saturday we all got together one last time to put up Nana's tree--a tradition all us grandkids who are in town do every year.

It all came to an end too fast, but Christmas is just around the corner. In just a few weeks, my aunt and cousins will be back in town, my brother and his wife will be here too, and we'll all get together for more food and fun as we celebrate the birth of Christ together. Hope all of you had a very happy Thanksgiving, too!

Another Family Update

Well, it's been a hectic last couple of weeks. John was out of town all last week. While he was gone, Jonathan came down with strep. Thankfully, though, we caught it early. All the poor little guy ever really got was a nasty cough and an ugly rash. He still has a little bit of the cough, but the rash is pretty much gone. He has to continue his antibiotic through Thanksgiving morning. So far, Jacob has yet to come down with it. He's had a little bit of a cough the last couple of days, but no fever, no rash, and his throat doesn't seem to be bothering him. His cough was not nearly as bad as Jonathan's, and it seems to be doing much better now. Still praying everybody stays healthy at least through Thanksgiving, though!

While John was out of town last week, his test score on the Audit section of the CPA exam came in. He got an 86!!! The online course he's taking really seems to be paying off. He's halfway through the exam now. He's planning on taking the REG section ( I think it's this one, anyway) in January, and then he'll probably take BEC in March or April. (I'm not sure, but I think March may be an off month for testing; they have testing for 2 months, then 1 month with no testing.) If he passes both, he will finally be done! He has until next November to pass the whole thing. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. I am so very proud of him!

We've been mildly concerned about Jacob's lack of walking lately. He wasn't exactly up to par at his 15 month check-up. His pediatrician recommended therapy for him and mentioned that we may be looking at having an MRI done if he's still not walking at his 18 month check-up. I've been putting off calling about therapy, really trying to buckle down on working with him and seriously beefing up the praise and encouragement. He's really shown a LOT of improvement over the last couple of weeks. He will now bend down to pick things up and straighten back up on his own; he stands up on his own now--without any support; he has started choosing to walk along the wall a lot more instead of crawling (which Jonathan did right before he started walking solo); and he's getting braver--taking more steps between objects that are spaced farther apart. I'm seriously starting to think he could be going solo by Thanksgiving, or shortly thereafter. I'm not nearly as stressed out about the upcoming 18 month check-up any more. We have until February; I'm pretty sure he'll have it down by then.

Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away! I love Thanksgiving, and I'm really looking forward to it this year. We're having it at my parents' house, and my in-laws and my mom's parents are going to be joining us. Family starts arriving tonight! Can't wait to see everybody; wish a few others could make it, but hopefully we'll get to see them soon!

Even though this is a little bit early---Happy Thanksgiving to all our dear family and friends!!!

Jacob's 15 Month Check-Up

It's so hard to believe Jakey's already 15 months old!!! He and Jonathan are growing up so stinkin' fast! Don't worry; I have not forgotten that I still haven't posted any one year pictures for Jacob. I promise to get some on here before the child turns 2, when I'll have turn around and put his two year pics up! Those who know me well know I can be a bit slow at times.



Jacob had his 15 mo. check-up yesterday. For the most part, things went pretty well. He gained just over another pound (he's now up to 22lbs, 5oz). He's still sitting between the 10th-25th percentile for his weight. The poor little guy did come down with a tummy bug this past Monday evening. He threw up a couple of times, and since the bug attacked his appetite hasn't been just real great. Dr. Hoving said that would definitely account for him slipping from 25-50th percentile back down to the 10-25th range. She also said his appetite could take up to a week to come back, though I think it may be on the way back now judging from the breakfast he ate this morning. Dr. Hoving was a bit concerned however, that Jake is 15 months old and still not walking independently. He's been taking a step or two on his own, and he will walk as long as he has something to hold on to. He will also stand alone. But that's about as far as he's come in the last three months. She's not worried about a developmental problem yet, but if he hits 18 months and is still not walking independently we may be looking at having an MRI done. She gave us some tips to help give him a little more encouragement, and she also recommended that I call a group called Early Childhood Intervention. They will come out to our home about once a month and basically teach us to teach him how to walk. She also said that if I make the appointment and he suddenly takes off walking, I could call and cancel. So we really don't have anything to lose. I'm planning to call today to set up an appointment for him. Since we got home from the doctor's office yesterday, he has made a few strides. He actually stood up in the middle of the floor (with nothing to hold on to) all by himself, and he took two big steps from Mommy to Daddy. So we're making progress, just slowly. Poor Jake also got poked a lot yesterday. He had three shots, plus a TB test, plus they drew blood to test for lead (a routine thing they do). Needless to say, yesterday was quite a traumatic day for him!



It's been quite a week around here. As I said earlier, Jake had a tummy bug on Monday night. Jonathan caught it on Tuesday night. That poor kid threw up from 7:30 at night to 4:00 the next morning. His appetite, which never has been real big, has decreased as well. I'm more worried about him not eating than I was about Jake not eating. The bug also hit John on Wednesday night--while he was in Canadian. Not a fun audit trip for him. Fortunately, I've managed to avoid the bug so far. I'm praying it stays that way.



Jonathan got to play Guitar Hero for the first time in a really long time! Believe it or not, Daddy let him play while Mommy was at Jazzercise last night. He was a big boy! When John told him it was time to put the guitars up, he handed his to Daddy without so much as a wimper. Looks like he might get to play again real soon!



Also, congratulations to our niece, Brooklynn! Christian Kyle Martinez was born at 5:15 Wednesday evening. He weighed 7lbs, 9oz and was 21 inches long. Brooklynn was in labor for about 24 hours. We are super excited about this new addition to our family!

Halloween Weekend 2009

"I want some cake!" ~Jonathan

The cake. (No, we weren't very nice.)


The big moment. Think she's spotted us yet?

Opening presents. Some were gag gifts, some were good gifts.

"Lightning McQueen" ~aka Jonathan Merriss

"Baby Dino" ~aka Jacob Merriss

"Rawr! Bring on the candy!!"

Trick-Or-Treat!

Jonathan's candy stash.

Jacob's candy stash.

Halloween at our house was awesome this year! I actually put up a few decorations. I've never done that before--but I thought, Why not make it fun for the kiddos? We didn't do a whole lot. I got a Happy Halloween door mat to go outside the front door; we put a glow-in-the dark door sticker for the front door; and I hung a few ghosts from our trees. We got together with my sister-in-law, Kristin, earlier in the month to make a bunch of Halloween goodies. I'm not sure what the boys loved more--the goodies or playing with Aunt Kristin and Uncle Marshall's pooch, Chilton.

On October 29, my mom turned 50. I could not let that birthday go by without doing something special for her. So we threw her a surprise party! She'd already had an over-the-hill party for her 40th, but I didn't really remember too much from that one (not sure why--just can't seem to remember it) so I decided to give her another one. My dad took her out for dinner that night. While he was gone, I let myself and the rest of our party guests (just a handful of family members) into their house and we set up their kitchen with a few decorations. When they came home about 30-45 minutes later, we "hid" back toward their entry way. The first thing she saw was her cake with the decorations and her presents, then as she came further in toward the light switch she finally saw all of us. She was surprised, and that was my goal.

Jonathan dressed as Lightning McQueen (from the Cars movie) this year, and Jacob was a dinosaur. They were both so cute, and were actually pretty well behaved for most of the evening. The festivities started early. Our church does a Fall Festival every year for all the kiddos, and I'm not real wild about getting the boys out when it's really dark. So we left about 5:00 Halloween night and took the boys trick-or-treating. We usually stick to our relatives' homes--we don't take the kids to anyone's home that we don't know well. After that we headed to the church for the Fall Festival fun. Jacob is still too young to really get into all the action; he pretty much hung around Mommy, who was working the popcorn machine all night. Jonathan, however, had a blast. Daddy took him around to all the games, which he got candy for playing. His favorite was a balloon popping game. By the end of the night, both boys had cleaned up pretty well. Despite his sugar high, even Jonathan crashed pretty quickly after we got home. Definitely looking forward to next year, when both the boys will be into it!

Now, bring on Thanksgiving!

"Deep Thoughts"...

It's been a long couple of weeks at our house. John just got back from a five day trip to Denver (training conference for work). So happy to have him home! :) It's strange, but it seems the shorter trips always go by slower. The two weeks he was gone to Israel about this time last year went by so much faster than the few days he was just recently gone. Wonder why it works out that way...? John also started his online study course last week. The first week wasn't too bad--even with having to study while being out of town. The second week may not be so easy; he has to squeeze in 40 hours of study time per week from here on out--on top of juggling a 40-hr work week with family responsibilites. It's not gonna be pretty.

Jonathan earned his first award of the year in AWANA last week! He got his Jumper Patch!!! He looks so handsome in his little Cubbies vest--now w/his patch sewed on. He's growing up so stinking fast. His vocabulary continues to grow and improve as well. We're still working on a few things, though--like enunciation. Jacob is slowly getting there when it comes to walking, but he is improving (at least, I think he is). He now seems more comfortable taking steps, and he leads rather than follows. Now if we could just convince him to let go...
The boys got a little wild yesterday afternoon. We had lunch at my Nana's after church, like we always do. She has a bird bath out in her backyard, and also a milk jug of water that at one time had a little Miracle Grow in it. With a little help from Paw-Paw, Jonathan figured out how to empty the water in the milk jug into the bird bath! He kept filling it til it would overflow, and every once in awhile, Paw-Paw would empty the bird bath so he could start it all over again. He did this all afternoon! He had a blast "giving the birds a bath!" Jacob wanted to be out where the action was, so Paw-Paw took him out and let him dip his feet in the bird bath. Apparently, Jonathan also figured out how the water hose works. At one point, he took the hose and sprayed his brother! A laughing Paw-Paw brought them both in the house soaking wet. They sure had a good time, though.

I had my annual physical on Friday. Everything seems to be perfectly normal with me. Good news, because nothing seems to be perfectly normal with our appliances. Our fridge is leaking something out the bottom. We had a thermometer in there; the temp would fluctuate between "food zone" and "spoilage." I started getting paranoid so I took it out and threw it away. So far, the fridge is still running. The food is still cold, and nothing seems to be thawing out. My parents are doing some remodeling at their house. The ice dispenser went out on their fridge. My dad has been telling us we can have their fridge if we want it--once they replace the ice dispenser. So we're either going to take theirs (if they get it fixed this week) or we're going to break down and buy a new one when John gets paid on Friday. Next month is one of two months out of the year that John gets 3 paychecks, so we can use the spare one to buy a new fridge. Now if our fridge will just hold out until my parents fix theirs or until John gets paid--whichever comes first...
I got a feeling that after the fridge, the dishwasher's gonna go next. It's leaking, too. There are some days I really miss apartment living. We have fixed/replaced one thing after another every year for almost three years now. And we've been in our house almost four years. Good times!

Anyway, that's about all that's going on in the world of Merriss right now. We're thankful for all the wonderful blessings God has given us, and we're trusting Him to bring us through the trials that come our way. After all, we have hope in a God who loves us. We're called to live lives of faith, not lives of fear. That's the lesson God's been teaching me the last couple of days--just thought I'd share. And this has been "Deep Thoughts" by Jennifer Merriss...
OK, I'm done now, I promise! I'll get a pic of Jonathan all decked out in his Cubbies uniform up soon. Hope everyone's week is off to a great start! Until next time...

Random Snapshots

Jonathan's 1st professional haircut.

Playing football w/Uncle Aaron.

Uncle Aaron & Jacob.

Jonathan & Uncle Aaron.

Jonathan on the front porch w/Papa Merriss & the neighbors' cat.

He smeared ketchup all in his hair!

Them!

Labor Day Weekend Pics

Jonathan & Rascal at Grandmama & Granddaddy's

Rascal, Jonathan, Chloe, Travis & Benjamin

Paw-Paw Davis & Jacob

Abby, Rory & Jonathan--all pooped out.

Jumping on the couch.

All four of the kiddos eating pizza around our coffee table.

Rory, Jonathan & Abby hanging out in Jonathan's room.

Rory & Jacob.

Jonathan & Abby.

My little man.

"I make these look good." ~Abby

Uncle John & Abby.

"What?" ~Rory