Do I Have to Exercise Now?

Check out the new jogging stroller that my mommy got. She got it because my daddy likes to take me on jogs. But mommy knows she needs to be jogging everyday, too. I don't think she likes exercise very much though, because she never really does it. At least I look cute in my new stroller.

All by Myself!

Kai is almost 6 1/2 months old. He has two teeth and can do many things by himself.


He can crawl...



hold his bottle...



and even pull himself up. Yikes!


He still smiles and laughs all day and sleeps all night. What more could I ask for? (Don't worry, I know my next will be a hellion.)

How did you do it?

Time has flown by and my little Kai-bug is already almost 6 months. SO...I NEED ADVICE ON HOW TO INTRODUCE SOLID FOODS. Let's hear it. Meat after rice. Don't try barley. Fruit last. I want to hear it all. We have started rice cereal a little bit. Mostly I don't know how to balance nursing with solids. You know you are a pro. Shower me with your wisdom.




P.S. If your comment isn't boring you yet, please share your feelings about bumbos/booster chairs/high chairs. Are they all necessary, when do you start using a high chair? Thank you and good day!

What would you pay?

My new favorite hobby is "COUPONING". You may be thinking that isn't a verb. Well my friends, yes it is.



I paid about 11 bucks for all of these items. Usually the diapers and foundation are that much EACH!



Guess how much I paid for all of these items?


I paid nothing! Seriously! They weren't a gift and I didn't steal them! He he. I used several coupons (including a big one for TRANSFERRING A PRESCRIPTION. If you take any medication, you really have to use these! I also used the Extra Bucks program.) I actually walked away with 1.26 left on the gift card I got for the medication transfer. So I was paid a dollar to buy all of these!!!!

So much fun! I love it!

You got free candy...I got FREE CHIPOTLE!

For Halloween this year, we dressed up like mexican food. Why, may you ask? If you dress up like a burrito, Chipotle will give you a free burrito. We decided to push our luck and dress Kai up like the bag of chips to see if we could also get free chips and guacamole. Worked like a charm! (I guess it didn't hurt that his good looks were wooing each and every employee.)





Dave made all of the costumes. So many hidden talents in this man!



Pleat for ease of movement. (He thought of everything.)




Truthfully, I've never liked HALLOWEEN. However, now that I have a darling child to dress up...things may begin to change.

What motherhood has done to me...

I have really been in touch with my inner-crafter lately. Here's what I've been working on:






Kai's room is decorated with sailboats. These will go above his crib.



This was one of our ward's Super Saturday crafts that I decided to do a little more rustic.



What's motherhood without a little baking? Here is some banana bread with chocolate chips that I wrapped up to give away.

(I would like to thank all those who have contributed to my success as a crafter. Kacie, for your constant inspiration. Meredith, for helping me realize there is a little crafter in all of us and Aunt Lynnae, for your tutoring. Thank you.)

Bono-fide Magic!

Tuesday night, I was joined by my fellow U2 fan, Derek and our supportive spouses (my husband and my sister) as we caught the U2 360 tour at the Cardinals Stadium. I have been such a huge fan since I was in Junior High. The music and the crazy stage rocked. Shout out to my favorite band!



Not gonna lie, The Black Eyed Peas were a good time also. (Love them especially because Apl is Filipino!)

The Merrell Fam

There were THREE babies added to the Merrell Fam within about 4 months! Here we all are down in Thatcher to be with Kyia (not to be confused with Kai) for the blessing of Kameron (not to be confused with Kendra) and his dad Kyle. SUGGESTION: Maybe we should pick a new letter for the next go around of babies.





Happy, Hungry and Sleepy...our three little dwarfs!

Cousins with Style

LL Cool Baby...


Gap Model



The cutest pair of cousins I know.

Have you seen a MOBY?

After researching slings, wraps, carriers, and all other such baby transportation devices, I decided that the MOBY wrap was my fave. It can be used for teeny babies up to large toddlers. You can wrap it in so many ways and it distributes the weight evenly. Not to mention that I am getting in touch again with my Flagstaff earthy days. I honestly don't use it much, but when I do, I think, 'Man, this thing is cool!'




http://www.mobywrap.com/

Thanks Kamaili!!!

Cousin Jemma

We are so happy J, Kendra and Baby Jemma came to visit us! And they will be moving down the street soon! Yay!

A NAME AND A BLESSING...and a Blessing...and a Blessing...and a Blessing...and a Blessing

Baby Kai finally received his baby blessing last week. We decided to bless him up in Pinetop in the ward I grew up in. What can I say, I'm nostalgic. The best part was that my sister's baby was blessed at the same time, as well as a FAMILY WITH TRIPLETS. Yeah, I'm not kidding. Not to mention the fact that it was Labor Day weekend in the mountains (tons of visitors).





Check out the bow tie. Very fancy.







Dave wants him to be a soccer player, but what can you do when the baseball outfit is too cute?






Kai laughing with his Great-Grandmother.



Can we go home yet?

Happy Little Guy

This is how my mommy found me in my crib the other morning. It's her fault for putting me in one of those bag like pajamas instead of my usual sleeper. And yes, I smile first thing in the morning. I can't help it.

Hanging around at Home

These are some things I like to do at home:



Take my baby bath while my mommy sings songs about soap to me...



Watch Baby Einstein, Mission Impossible and So You Think You Can Dance...





Do my pre-crawling exercises on the bed.

I love to hang out at home with my mom!

10 States Before Age 3 Months

Well, it feels like it is way past summer, even though its still almost 110 degrees (by the way, it's supposed to cool down and rain more) anyways, I digress. Summer may be over, but I wanted to post a few pictures and describe our intense travels.



Dave's summer alarm selling job took us to Birmingham Alabama this year. I fortunately felt great after my C-section and joined him out there when Kai was three weeks old. It was very hot and very humid there. Honestly didn't care for it much.



Oh Alabama, you may be beautiful, but you are rediculously humid and I hate your bugs.

The office was thankfully moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I absolutely loved living there and would love to return.



It is actually named for these beautiful falls. We returned home at the beginning of August, but made a few stops along the way. These pictures are from a mammoth dig site that may sound lame to most of you, but rocked my geeky little world. It was amazing.





We also got to see Mt. Rushmore which is really in the middle of nowhere when it comes to the grand scheme of things as far as U.S. geography. So, in case you never make it to the middle of nowhere, take my word for it...it actually looks better on television than in person.




But Kai would make a cute President, don't you think?

So, to wrap it up, we traveled a huge triangle across the entire country. Kai was such a trooper, we got to see lots of things we've never seen before and change many roadside diapers. We are glad to be home!