One Year Older and Wiser, Too

My baby is one! That is so crazy. Although if you had asked Glen last night, he would have told you that Isaac was only a week old. (this was in a conversation about our taxes in which i wanted to make certain he was claiming isaac as a dependent and he responded, "no, isaac was born january 15, 2014." really? i don't recall giving birth last week! i had a good chortle at his expense.)

Yep, following in his mother's footsteps and having mac and cheese for birthday dinner.

 The extent of my creativity.

Anyway, Isaac's birthday was a pretty quiet affair; just us. Yes, yes, how terrible of me not to throw a huge blow-out party for a one-year-old! Isaac, like at Christmas, didn't know what was going on, anyway, so I'm not too torn up about it. His presents for his birthday weren't nearly as fun as at Christmas, since a month ago he got a bunch of toys, whereas last week he got clothes. Clothes are never as fun to get, are they?

 He kept his make-shift party hat on for about a second.

On a related note, sometimes it's difficult for both Glen and I to be musical, because we both automatically jump to harmony when we sing together and nobody's left on the melody. Oops! (sound familiar, kelly? mom?) Jensen tradition dictates that we sing "Happy Birthday" to someone in a notoriously bad fashion, but Glen and I figured maybe our kids should grow up at least knowing what the tune sounds like before we mangle it for each other.

Okay, so Isaac didn't know why we were singing at him, but that doesn't mean he didn't enjoy the cake. Because he sure did. By the end of eating, he was a sticky green-fingered monster. But what a cute one!

I love the shot of both of them stuffing their faces.

Please, Mom, I want some more.

A couple days before Isaac's birthday, he had his first major catastrophe -- he fell down the stairs! GAH! We'd taught him how to turn himself around at the top of the stairs in order to go down backwards, which he was getting the hang of quite well, but he didn't get himself completely turned around this time before gravity took effect and I wasn't there in time to catch him. Not. Cool. Mom. So dooooooooown he went, and he was justly upset at me, but I was mainly relieved that he didn't sustain any serious injuries. Lucky. Mom. He's willing to go near the stairs (and still very happily and rapidly climbs them), but he's unsurprisingly reluctant to turn himself around without a little encouragement and reassurance that I'm right there. At least he's back to a point where he will go down once I've helped him turn. But yeesh! I'm very lucky I didn't break my child.

"Building" with Daddy

He'd still rather play with anything but his own toys, as evidenced by the fact that it's increasingly hard for me to work with him constantly wanting to get in on my computer keyboard action. He does enjoy his various blocks and wooden rings because of the good clacking noise they make. He's gotten the hang of his sippy cup the last couple of weeks, which is neat because I really didn't know when he'd willingly use it. And just the last couple of days, he's taken to crawling around on his hands and feet (yep, feet. not knees), which is pretty hilarious to watch. He'll occasionally stop and look between his legs to look behind, which is naturally adorable. But he never crawls anywhere without the intention of pulling himself up to his feet if he can. He is a good little cruiser.

This is his favorite spot to cruise to when I'm trying to work.

How can you resist that smile?

He's also into licking his papa's nose and demolition.

-Meg

"All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much." -George Harrison

Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold

It's kind of funny that I now get excited about making trips to Provo, but what can you do? I'm a "small town girl" these days. Well, kind of. A couple weekends ago, we decided to make the trek to see family and visit Costco (and Winco. and do "super secret" birthday shopping for isaac).

The drive was pretty standard (passed a LOT of ice fishers), but as we passed Heber and made our way through Midway and Provo canyon, we came upon some pretty intense mist that was spread out across the reservoir. I really don't think I'd ever seen anything like it, and for the most part, we were not enshrouded in it (at most for about five seconds), but it looked so cool. Totally got me in the mood to sing about the Misty Mountains with dwarves.

Cute little fella out to lunch

When we first arrived in Provo, I texted my pal Kathryn to ask if we could stop by some time during the day, and when she texted me back, lo and behold! there was a party going on! Our friend Heather was being thrown a baby shower as we spoke (well, if texting = speaking), and I was welcome to stop by. So after about fifteen minutes of hanging out at Glen's sister's, we hopped back in the car! Totally great timing on our part, because then I got to see several of my Provo friends in one fell swoop! I love those ladies.

A couple of Glen's candid shots of us; having a good time getting in place.

 There's a good group shot!

After a nummy-yummy trip to Zupa's for lunch (lobster bisque!), we visited Grandma Merrell with Bethany before I left everyone behind to shop. Oh, Winco, how I miss you. And doesn't everybody know it? Costco was our last visit before heading back out. It was a very full day, but pretty good. I shall return.

-Meg

"It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out; it's the grain of sand in your shoe." -Robert W. Service

Christmas Bells are Ringing

Seeing as how Christmas was exactly a month ago, maybe it's not worth documenting, but here goes.

This year was a first for us Merrells, as we didn't travel anywhere for the holiday. It was kind of strange to not make travel plans, but at the same time I was thinking, "What a relief!" As much as I love seeing family, winter travel can be stressful. Anyway, we just stayed put here in Roosevelt and had a quiet family celebration.

 Isaac gets to put up his first ornament (with some help).

 There's just one more sleep 'til Christmas!

Isaac was sure fascinated by the Christmas tree, as we knew he would be. He just couldn't understand why we kept dragging him away from it every time he wanted to play with the needles or the lights. (we were wise enough to not set out presents or put ornaments too low on the tree. he couldn't resist the lights, though.) Carols, cookies, presents, etc., didn't really catch his attention too much, but he did like the tree.

Opening up his Christmas Eve gift, and look! It's pajamas! What a HUGE surprise!

Looks like Santa showed up.

In addition to delivering cookies to neighbors on Christmas Eve, we were invited to Christmas dinner by one of Glen's co-workers. They were also going to have reduced family numbers, so we were their proxy children/grandchild. We had a good time there, watching Isaac discover other people's toys and be just charming to everybody (except when we attempted to make him nap; he didn't appreciate it).

Look at that cute stocking that Ganny made for him.

 As expected, he's more interested in the wrapping paper.

We're joining the 21st century and got a blu-ray player.

 Isaac just may like those monster bowling pins Grandma Merrell sent him.

As strange as it was to not be with our family in Oregon or Missouri, it was pretty nice to have a first Christmas on our own. Sure, Isaac doesn't really know what's going on, but as we sat together on Christmas Eve, reading Luke 2 and singing "Silent Night" by the glow of the tree lights, it was a peaceful time together as we reflected on why we celebrate this time of year.

-Meg

"The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn't for any religious reasons. They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin." -Jay Leno

Thank U

Don't you love it when you mean to do something over and over again, but it just doesn't get done? Yeah, I don't love it, either. That's how I am with this blog. I keep meaning to update, but then life gets in the way. I suppose it's a good thing, though, that I'd rather make sure I'm giving my kid attention than update a blog. Okay, sure, that's how I'll look at it. I'm SUCH a good mom.

Anyway, after months of getting warnings about how cold it gets here, the past few days have proved the words of neighbors correct. Our temperatures took a nosedive (fortunately AFTER thanksgiving travel) and we've been experiencing the joys of very negative-degree weather. In fact, according to weather.com, our high on Thursday was, in fact, 0. Goodness!

So this should tell you how much I'm taking Isaac out in the snow.

Not at all. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Look at my adorable child.

I'm so glad that this wintery weather kicked in well after we arrived home from Thanksgiving. We had a really nice trip down to St. George to spend the holiday at my aunt's home, along with my folks and sister's family. I was afraid of how Isaac might behave since we'd be traveling and his schedule would be off and he could potentially be a nightmare. But Isaac proved once again how much he loves attention. After a rough first night that I couldn't exactly blame him for, he really enjoyed getting to know Nerak's house and being following around closely by his cousins Andrew and Ali.

Isaac "playing" in the leaves. Quite the pile.

 You feed Isaac, you are in his good graces. Nicole learned this well.

It was great to see our family (and use my parents as babysitters so we could go out to a movie for the first time since LAST december!) and have a chance to breathe away from computers and the like. I really have been blessed to have such a wonderful family, and I hope to not take that for granted.

The fam (everyone at our thankgiving meal and then my folks and sis)

So now we're a week into December, and I'm having a lot of fun trying to convince mail carriers that my address actually does exist so I can receive the gifts I've ordered for my fellas. Usually there's not a problem, but last month our post office carrier suddenly decided that we weren't on his route (without informing anyone, thanks), effectively making it seem as though our address didn't exist, and several items I had ordered were sent back to the shippers. We had so much fun clearing up that misunderstanding with the post office, and we eventually did get everything I'd ordered. And then a random package last week somehow suffered the same fate of being sent back, which is weird because I've gotten other mail and packages just fine through today. So I get to figure out why THAT one went astray when I gave them the correct address. I am LOVING being far away from stores and getting to deal with this kind of thing.

Anywho . . . bring on Christmas!

-Me

"Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants." -Kevin James

Clap Your Hands

And now for the 10-month report! Huzzah!

At ten months, Isaac has cut two more teeth (number four just barely broke through in the last couple of days), has gotten a whopping cold (and so has his poor mommy), has begun clapping, and has FINALLY mastered the art of crawling.

I know that you're not supposed to compare your baby to other babies, but when you hear about other babies born around the same time as yours that have been crawling since six months, you get a little antsy about your own. I think I've said something in each Isaac post for the last two months about him being sooooooooo close to moving himself around, and today I can finally say he's really doing it! Hooray!

He loves to be tickled (when in a good mood, at least) and he loves bath time. He can be in the most horrific of moods and the instant I put him in the water, he'll calm down and start babbling away to his bath toys. (can we have bath time four times a day, please?) He definitely plays favorites with them, as well. By far his favorite one is a crab. He might occasionally reach for the other aquatic figures, but he always ALWAYS wants the crab. (i've started referring to the crab as "sebastian" in my mind.)

Ah, I remember when he lay down on this thing.

We've begun sippy cup attempts, but he's not quite getting it. He'll take hold of the handles but do absolutely nothing, and then he'll hold it upside down nowhere near his mouth . . . oh, well. Baby steps. I have to remind myself sometimes that he still has plenty to learn, but I'm waiting for that magical moment that some people seem to have with their kids when suddenly they develop a bunch of things within a matter of days. That sounds nice. I'll take potty training and feeding himself, please. (okay, he is feeding himself more and more, but the whole mastering-utensils thing would come in handy.)

See? Feeding himself. Sure, plenty of the noodles ended up on the floor, but big deal.

The combination of the cold and teething has made him not-too-pleasant for about a week, but all in all he's a funny and happy little kid when he's been fed, changed, napped, played with, read to, laughed with, sung to, read to, and worshiped like an Egyptian cat.

You think I exaggerate. Hahahahahahahahahahaha . . .

-Me

"If you were to open up a baby's head - and I am not for a moment suggesting that you should - you would find nothing but an enormous drool gland." -Dave Barry

We Love Halloween

Every year I'm determined to come up with a Halloween costume well in advance, just in case I hit upon a fabulous idea that takes a little extra time. And every year, that just never seems to happen. Oh, well. A few months ago, Glen and I were discussing possible family costumes, and we came up with a really great idea that we were really excited about. Did we write it down? Nope. Did we remember this fabulous idea the next time we talked about Halloween? Nope. Did we ever remember what this fabulous idea ever was? It may as well be a myth.

Anyway, I was bound and determined that Isaac would look cute, no matter what Glen and I ended up doing (or not doing). I found tons of really adorable costumes online (a dragon one particularly caught my eye, but naturally was a tad pricey). And somehow . . . inspiration struck! I am NOT a creative person in the slightest. I can carry out other people's creative ideas really well, but I don't have them myself. So for me to hit upon a family costume that would have Isaac looking cute and us not going to too much effort for ourselves AND it being fairly topical? This was a one-in-a-million chance.

So I present to you . . . What Does the Fox Say?

 Love this candid pic of Glen

Incidentally, this fox costume was far less pricey than any other costume I looked at online, so that was a plus. And basic white t's for us were pretty cheap, too, so while we still spent some money, it was still fairly economical. Bonus!

The rear view

Seeing as how we're outside of a small town where people are spread out far and wide, this was one of those times that I actually felt like having a trunk-or-treat was actually justified. (usually i'm pretty opposed to them, but that's another rant entirely.) After running out of candy within five minutes (tops) with plenty more children to come around the church parking lot, we closed our trunk up and let everybody partake in the awesomeness of our family get-up. (don't get it? this will help.) We had several reactions from people immediately getting the reference and thinking it was awesome, a few more getting it once they had read our t-shirts and thought for a second or two, and then others who had no idea what it meant but still agreeing that Isaac was an utterly adorable fox.

And they were right.

-Me

"This Halloween, the most popular mask is an Arnold Schwarzenegger mask. And the best part? With a mouth full of candy you will sound just like him." -Conan O'Brien

The Leaves Will Change

A couple weekends this month we've been able to see some friends, which has been awesome for my nomadic existence.

We love seeing his little belly

We took a very quick trip to Provo (about a total of 24 hours) on what turned out to be BYU's Homecoming weekend, which gave us pause, but we did manage to avoid any yucky traffic. In addition to seeing friends, our trip also meant I was able to visit Target (oh, the crazy things i miss -- walmart will never replace you in my heart, target). And India Palace. I'd been craving Indian food for a couple weeks before we went, and mmmmm . . . it satisfied my appetite generously. We got to visit with the Mechams and the Lawlors, and it was so fun to visit with our pals and see how much their kids are growing!

 At Bluebell's Corn Maze

The next weekend Megan came out to visit, which was so awesome of her to make that drive for the day! It was all her idea, too, which made me feel special. We took advantage of the beautiful fall weather to visit a local corn maze and pumpkin patch, which was pretty fun. Isaac was in the midst of a big tooth coming in, so there were points he wasn't enjoying himself too much, but we had a great time anyway. And we were all ready for a nap once we got back from the patch and lunch at Marion's. Good thing Megan didn't fall asleep on her way back to Orem.

Let's hope Isaac likes pumpkins better next year.

 A first impression of ice cold water (he actually wasn't crying; this picture just gives that impression)

They mock my sugar fast with a milkshake

Extremely happy to be feeding a baby. Maybe excessively so?

See how fun it is to visit us? We can guarantee that Isaac will like you by the time you leave. :)

-Megan

"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie." -Jim Davis