Merritt Memories

With Dustin's new schedule, he doesn't get to spend as much time with the kids as he would like. I get to spend all morning with him, but by the time the kids get home from school, he's gone. He gets home when they are in bed. We both feel that quality time is a must. So last week, we surprised the kids with a day trip to Boondocks. I was really fun. It was long overdue. It was nice just to relax and enjoy each other and all the fun this place had to offer. We enjoyed the go-karts, the 3-D movies, arcade games, bumper boats, mini-golf, and laser tag. I think the day was a success.

Every day Becca and I get to take her cousin, Noah, to pre-school. We go the same way everyday. So I was surprised to hear her exclaim with absolute joy, "Mom, we're almost to Paris. Keep driving,keep driving!" I was quite confused. Where in the world did Paris come from? I thought to myself. Then I saw it. There it was. In Becca's world this: equals this : At least she's easy to please.

My kids are pretty lucky. I haven't ever written much about Dustin. I'm pretty ashamed of that. Because in my opinion, there is no greater father out there. Ever since we have started having children, he has left me speechless with his fathering skills. The man's got skills!!! He is the type of dad who wants to be with his kids. He plays football, baseball, and any other sport you can think of with his boys. He loves them so much. Whenever he is going to any store (ie Home Depot, Lowe's, Wal-Mart), he always asks if they want to go. They all love Cabela's. It's their special bonding store, the MAN store. As far as the girls go, Dad is the ultimate amusement park ride. Nobody throws, catches, twists, or twirls better than him. No matter how hard you look you will never find a better Memory, Twister, Go-Fish, Candy Land, or Uno player around. And he is always willing to play! What even impresses me more is the way he speaks to them. They might be laying with him o...

I think everybody knows that being a parent is not an easy job. There are days we just want to whine and complain. Sunday was that day for me. I was not feeling well and was in a bad mood. While it is true that I struggle on Sundays, it is not my kids' fault. I don't know why I blame them sometimes. I guess it is because they are my life! Easy to blame. The real fact about parenthood that I battle with is that my desires are often placed on the back burner. On Sundays it is so "in my face". An apathetic person might say, " You should have thought about that BEFORE you had children." To which I would reply, "There are just somethings you don't realize about having kids until you have them." In no way do I want this to be implied that I am sorry for having kids. No way. No how. I love my kids and would do anything for them, anything to protect them. It's just that there are those days that I wish everything would go MY way. Maybe in the f...

For me Sundays are the hardest day of the week. It is so strange. My kids will get up at 6:30 every other day of the week, but on Sunday they want to sleep in. And it is torturous trying to get them up! Once they are going the morning runs smoothly, after I have had to raise my voice about three times. Thankfully this year we have the 11:00 am block. We were late the first couple weeks, but we are doing much better now. The hardest part comes after church. My home is an absolute wreck after everyone rushing to get ready. We clean it up a bit then it's time for lunch. We clean up a mess, just to make one-one of the most annoying things! I will then cuddle up on the couch to read the ads. Relaxing for me, but the kids seem to not know what to do with all this spare time. I try to direct them in an appropriate activity, but it usually leads to some type of fighting or teasing. This is the Sabbath Day, why all the contention? Soon it is time for "the nap". We used to have a m...

Dustin and I got these today! Nothing better than homemade valentines! The weather has been great the last couple days! We decided to take advantage. We headed over to one of the neighborhood parks to play our happy, little, cabin-fevered brains out! And we had FUN!!! We squeezed through holes, went down slides, climbed on anything possible, and rode the zip-line. And there was football, lots and lots of football. We had a race and ate a snack. Today I was a fun mom.

A few days ago I was in the bathroom doing Kate's hair. Ya know, some of our best conversations have been in the bathroom with a flat iron in hand. What is it about the bathroom? Maybe the one-on-one attention? I don't know. Anyway, Kate was wondering who was funny in our house. The conversation went something like this: Kate: Mom, who's the funniest person in our family? Me: Dad. Kate: Oh. Who's the second funniest person? Me: I am. Kate: (said with all seriousness a six year-old could muster) Mom, how are you funny? Now on the outside I was laughing...hysterically. But on the inside, that's another story. How could this cute little thing not know how funny I am? I would consider myself a fun person with a pretty good personality. Does she not ever notice?.. or could it, maybe, be that I don't show it much? I started thinking about the morning. Mom yelling about someone leaving the milk out. Mom yelling about the mess left on the counter. Mom yelling about the ...