Fun Days

Less than two weeks before classes start... soon we will be so busy and maybe a little stressed! We are enjoying the last fun days of the summer. During the last few weeks we have enjoyed visits from both sets of grandparents, some rainy days, a few cool days, and even a trip to Bottletree as a family. We have also experienced a little sickness, but I think we are all on the mend. Please pray for us as we begin the semester. We are starting our third year here and it is hard to believe!

PS The first two pictures are because I was practicing with Manual Focus on our camera. The third is a sweet picture of Isaiah wearing his Poppa's boots.

Daddy's Little Helper

Here is Isaiah "helping" D. fold the laundry. He does a pretty good job, doesn't he?

He's got skills...

So D. went to get Isaiah up from a nap the other day and this is what he looked like. How? We really have no idea how he did this.

Just like my Dad

Wearing Daddy's hat... hopefully I can keep him from becoming overly attached to one particular hat like Daddy.

Love Story

Today is our fourth wedding anniversary, and we are still crazy about each other. In some ways, it seems like we've only been married a short time, but in some ways it seems like it's been forever! We are so blessed to have been given the gift of a shared passion and heart for so many things, and for the way we help each other grow closer to Jesus. We are grateful!

Cousins

I am so behind posting this, but we had so much fun when we went to visit my mom and dad a few weeks ago. I think the best part of the trip was the great time Isaiah and Anna had together. They just played and played and had a blast, making us all wish they could play together more often. Anna is now 3 and a half, and she is such a big girl. It is really amazing how much she has changed in the last few months. Even her voice is deeper!

One of the most fun things we did was take the kids to a local swimming pool, which has a zero-depth entry area. It gets deeper as you go, which Isaiah just loved. It gave him time to get comfortable in the water. Soon he was trying to put his face in!

Maybe the least fun thing we did was that D. accidentally hit my brother's car... while driving my dad's car. Oh my. We both felt terrible about it, but it is all taken care of now, thank goodness!

Excitement

We are going to have a nephew! We are so excited for my brother and sister-in-law who are adopting a baby boy from Ethiopia!

Okay that is really all I have to say, but did I mention that we are very excited?

More vocab

Isaiah keeps saying new words. He says a new one just about every day. His most recent word is "more." He has a few new favorite foods:
Mashed Sweet Potatoes (They have lots of great spices, including curry)
Strawberry Applesauce
Macaroni and Cheese (I've been making the Annie's kind from a box)

When he finishes these foods, he is adamant about wanting "more." It is the cutest thing, because he can't quite get the word out yet.

Another new word is "stay." When it is so hot outside, Rigby needs to come inside sometimes. After her obedience training, she is great about laying down and staying when we let her inside. D. has a motion he uses and he says "Stay!" Isaiah has been saying it all the time now. Anytime he sees Rigby he says it, but he also tells D. and I to stay sometimes too. :)

Splash!

Like I said, the first day Isaiah was not all about going in the water. But as each day passed, he got more and more into it! He has this sweet new thing he does when he wants an adult with him. He'll just take your hand and pull you along wherever he wants you to go. This series of photos demonstrates how hard that little hand is to resist!

I LOVE the beach!

Yum!

So if you know me, you know that I love recipes and that I have recently become into eating more healthy foods. That does not mean that my sweet tooth has disappeared, but I am working on replacing a lot of sweets with healthier options. I do still eat a cupcake every now and then...

Okay, so I have this amazing friend who is so healthy and knows so much about eating well. She shared this recipe with me. We made it last night and it was SO good that I just had to post it here. Note: We omitted the walnuts because of D.'s allergy.

Multigrain Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
¾ cup natural brown sugar or turbinado
½ cup organic peanut butter
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup + 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
¼ cup wheat germ
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup walnuts

Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
2. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda then set aside.
3. In a large bowl beat sugars with softened butter for 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and peanut butter. Add oats and beat at reduced speed until combined. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
4. Stir in wheat germ, chocolate chips, and nuts. Scoop dough into balls on parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
5. Allow cookies to cool for 3 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet.

Notes:
• Yields about 25 cookies. You can scoop the dough into balls and freeze them on a cookie sheet.
• Once frozen, transfer them to a zip-lock freezer bag and they will keep for weeks and bake up as well as when fresh. You will need to add 2 minutes to baking time.
• If doubling this recipe use three eggs.

Sandy... I think I'll call him Sandy

Our first day at the beach, Isaiah was a little tentative about the water. Who wouldn't be? The ocean is really big in case you haven't noticed.

He wasn't tentative about getting into the sand, as you can see. He dug right in and built, and stuck his hands in it, and laid in it, and chased a few seagulls.

And why not? A bath takes care of it all.

Kindred Spirits

A few weeks ago, our friend Ashlee came to visit. She is a friend from seminary, and now she's a Campus Pastor in Kansas. We miss having her close by so much. Ashlee is one of my best friends in the entire world. She and D. are good friends too, which makes it really fun that she was able to come visit.

Things we did while she was here:
We ate at Bottletree and enjoyed Strawberry Brioche...yum!
We went to Square Books, Off Square Books, and Square Books, Jr.
We took her on a tour of the Wesley House (woo hoo!) and the Ole Miss Campus. D. was tour guide. :)
We went to Holli's Sweet Tooth.
We went to Rowan Oak.
We ate at Taylor Grocery, although she did not get catfish. What was she thinking?
We talked and talked and talked... and talked.

What a gift!

Where have we been?

We've been everywhere!

A wonderful, kindred-spirit friend from Kansas came to visit, and we explored Oxford together.

We went to the beach in NC with D.'s family.

We drove over to Mocksville, NC to visit my family.

We'll be posting some pictures and stories soon!

Just for Fun

In response to this post, I was up to the challenge.

Altered States Score: 80% (8 out of 10)

Just another reason I love mental floss.

our day

We had quite a busy day today. I am laying on the couch now because I am too tired to clean up in the kitchen!

4:30 am--Isaiah wakes up
5:00 am--Isaiah goes back to sleep (thank God!)
7:30 am--Isaiah wakes up again
8:30 am--We arrive at the Pediatrician's office
8:45 am--They inform us that we have shown up for an appointment on June 18th that was actually scheduled for July 18th!
9:00 am--We drop D. off at work and go to the park where we play on the playground and stop to listen to various airplanes
9:30 am--We go to OU Methodist Church to play in their gym. Isaiah had a great time rolling balls around in the gym!
10:15 am--We go home and play outside, around the house, etc.
11:45 am--lunch! An apricot, a plum, and scrambled eggs with cheese
12:00 pm to 2:45 pm--NAP!!! That is a long time... what a gift! I work on reading and some class stuff during Isaiah's nap.
3:00 pm--We walk over to my professor's house where Isaiah plays hard with Anna, 9, and Molly, 6, and she and I work on my comps list!
4:30 pm--We walk home and on our way meet D.
5:00 pm--We go to a New Student Orientation in the Grove with D. What this means is that I chase Isaiah around the Grove for an hour while D. talks to incoming freshmen.
6:15 pm--We go with D. to pick up pizza for Wesley tonight
6:30 pm--We come home, Isaiah takes a bath, we read some stories, and CRASH it is time for bed!

Now you know why I'm so tired! What a fun day, though.

Happy Father's Day

Isaiah looks like his Daddy, doesn't he?

Isaiah and I are so glad to have an amazing father and husband in our lives.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. This guy is an expert diaper changer.

2. He is so much fun to be around. He makes us both laugh. A lot.

3. D. does the dishes almost every night and he does an excellent job. So excellent, in fact, that I dare not interfere.

4. He teaches Isaiah awesome things like how to sign "touchdown!" and "safe!".

5. He makes so many sacrifices to be REALLY present for both of us. In fact, he kept Isaiah every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 4 to 6:30 for the entire semester so I could go to class! He is not a watch TV kind of babysitter either--he is a down-on-the-floor block building and demolishing kind of babysitter.

6. He has that awesome spiky hair and he is really so handsome.

7. He is learning how to eat new things to set a good example. The newest thing, I believe, is asparagus. YUM! I love it, really and truly, but he is trying.

8. He loves Jesus so much and is willing to share what he is learning with both Isaiah and I.

9. He likes chocolate milkshakes and doesn't mind sharing a sip. ONE sip.

10. He is just the all-around best husband and father either of us could ask for and we are so thankful for him!

expanding our vocabulary

Isaiah has been saying more and more words... It is so much fun to see all that we've been teaching him come out of his mouth and be demonstrated in his actions. I'm loving it! I've always been a verbal girl myself, though.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of things Isaiah says:

All right!
Oh Boy!
Cheese
Down
WOW!
Book (without the k)
Mmmm (as in tasty)
nana (as in banana)
Bye bye (accompanied by a wave)
Hi (accompanied by a different wave)

and finally, night-night, which is possibly the cutest one of all. Imagine him snuggled up with Bear and or Tiger, smiling up at you saying "ni-ni" and waving a sweet little wave. It is super cute, and also one of the reasons I am grateful for Uncle Miles and Aunt Ashley's recommendation of the awesome baby sleeping book which we have diligently followed.

Of course, this list does not include names of people or pets.

He also demonstrates his expanding vocabulary by recognizing words that we say. On Saturday, he was playing with his toy airplane, and I said something like "show me your airplane." He immediately stopped playing, stood, and pointed up! I guess he hasn't made the connection between those awesome noises we hear when a plane is overhead and that little wooden toy, but he is certainly fascinated with planes!

We miss Daddy...

D. is gone this week to Orlando to take a class. We are missing him so very much, and we can't wait for him to come home! Isaiah is a big fan of his daddy. He especially enjoys mimicking his Dad's behaviors, which is a good thing... most of the time. :) Here are a few pictures devoted to Daddy, including one of Isaiah sitting by the window watching D. mow. He watched him for at least 30 minutes. We are so blessed to have D. in our lives!

pool party

These pictures were taken last week, but I just uploaded them to the computer tonight. Doesn't this look like fun? It is now REALLY hot here, so we need to get the pool out again soon.

Fun places to visit around Oxford

One of our favorite places in Oxford is Square Books, Jr. It is an awesome kids' book store. Several of the employees know Isaiah by name because we visit so often. I always find about 10 books that I think might be crucial to Isaiah's education and development when we visit, but I usually do a pretty good job of holding myself back from buying them. I have to remind myself (in the words of my Dad, the wise Rick Catlett) that I shouldn't buy a book when I could check it out from the library for free. Now, they don't always have these very important board books at our local public library, but they have enough to choose from, so I try to contain myself.

Anyway, at the entrance of Square Books, Jr. there is a collection of stuffed dogs surrounding a table. The table is quite large, so there are about 10 or 12 of these dogs. Most of them are bigger than Isaiah. They are made by Melissa and Doug, some of our favorite toy creators, and many different breeds are represented. Isaiah LOVES to go around the circle and pet each dog. He makes very sweet and/or excited noises when he sees these dogs. Yesterday, he picked up the Bichon Frise and carried around the store. He even tried to carry it out of the store. I have posted a picture of the black lab here; it's another one of Isaiah's favorites. He calls it "Big-by."

So I guess if you're looking for a somewhat frivolous gift that you know will be a big hit with Isaiah, this is it. Of course, in the words of my dad, the wise Rick Catlett, why should we buy that dog for Isaiah when that would take away the fun of visiting Square Books, Jr.?

Summer time... and the livin' is easy

We have made it to summer! It is glorious. So very glorious.

So far this summer, we have participated in some new and exciting activities:

This past weekend, D. and I left Isaiah with his Aunt RiRi, went to a Braves' game in Atlanta, and spent the night at the Hyatt in downtown Atlanta! (Thanks, priceline!)

I made a stuffed dog for Isaiah out of a pair of socks. I will have to post a picture after I give the dog eyes and a nose. I am crafty--it's true.

We bought a kiddie pool, inflated it, filled it with water, and Isaiah wouldn't get in. He did enjoy splashing, though.

I took a nap. More than once. :)

Isaiah and I went to my professor's house yesterday so she and I could talk about my directed reading. (19th century American Women's Fiction, because I know you were dying to know.) She has a nine-year-old and a six-year-old daughter. They LOVED Isaiah and he loved them right back. They had him pushing all kinds of animals around in a little shopping cart, dancing, and carrying around a toy guitar. The (almost) six-year-old insisted on inviting him to her birthday party next week. I am not so sure that we will go, but we will definitely draw her a picture.

We have been playing with sidewalk chalk on our driveway. I have been drawing with it; Isaiah has been eating it (or at least putting it in his mouth.)

We have been going for long walks as often as possible. We stop to gaze at all construction sites and admire all construction equipment, especially when it is in action.

Last night, I went out to dinner with two girl friends! It was so fun. We talked for 2 hours. What a gift.

We are doing our best to participate in saving the planet--we are trying to go all cloth napkins and all cloth diapers for the summer. So far, we've been fairly successful (traveling doesn't count).

Everybody needs to work at a university right--how amazing is it to still have summer at 29? I am so thankful to Jesus for the gifts he has given me!

Bi[g]-by

Isaiah is saying more and more words....or at least trying to. This morning, Corrie put Rigby up because a storm is brewing (again), and when she came back inside Isaiah started saying "Bi[g]-by...Bi[g]-by...Bi[g]-by." The 'g' doesn't always make it out, but as you can see, this is clearly Isaiah's word for Rigby.

mother's day

Does this boy look like his mama or what?

This is my second mother's day as a mom, and I am so thankful for the gift of motherhood. Every day I see myself in Isaiah, and it never ceases to surprise me.

I have learned a few things as a mom, and I am sure that I have a lot more to learn:

I should thank my own mom more often. Being a mom myself makes me realize how much she has sacrificed for me.

It is really impossible to control another person, regardless of how small that person is.

Going for a walk as a family can be a really special event--especially if the destination is Holli's Sweet Tooth.

It really does not impact my life significantly if I see a movie at home on my couch via Netflix instead of in the theatre.

Being a mom makes it easier to talk to strangers, especially if you have an outgoing toddler around to make introductions easier.

Babies change so fast. I cannot believe how different Isaiah is from just a few months ago, and it really makes me a little sad to think about how fast he's grown.

Sleep is such an amazing gift from God.

The Jacket and the Bus

The other day Isaiah and I were hanging out waiting for Corrie to get out of class. It's amazing to see how he can turn anything in to a toy. In this case, it was his jacket that happened to be hanging on a near by doorknob.



The Jacket and the Bus from D. Merricks on Vimeo.

Pastimes

Our church hosted a night at the Ole Miss baseball game last night. The grilled hot dogs and hamburgers in the outfield (not literally, on the other side of the fence beyond the outfield). It was great time to just hang out and enjoy the Oxford spring weather (70+ degrees and beautiful). As many of you know, baseball is one of my favorite pastimes (let's not talk about Braves right now), but what you may not know is that one of Isaiah's favorite pastimes is playing with pebbles. He loves picking them up, dropping them, picking them up, giving them to others, picking them up, dropping them, etc. etc. Here are some pictures...

Sharing pebbles with our friend Rajesh.

Is Alvin looking for another chipmunk?

Corrie forgot to smile. (She's thinking, "I love him soooo much!")