Questions

I turned on the movie Eight Below yesterday before nap. BIG mistake. You see, the girls have to know everything about what they are watching before they'll actually watch it. The coversation went a little like this:

A: Mom, is this real?

M: Um, it is a movie, but it is based on someting that really happened

(confused stare)

A: Some of my cartoons are real

M: No, sweetheart, cartoons are just drawings

A: No, but some are real.

P: Are those wolves? Why are they nice? Are they nice?

M: Those aren't wolves they're dogs

A: Nope, they're wolves

M: No, they are actually siberian huskies

P: Oh. Why are they being nice?

M: Because they were trained to be.

**Part where the Doc breaks through the ice and falls into freezing cold water**

A: What happened?

M: The ice was too thin so he fell through

A: Will he die?

M: Probably not, but they have to hurry and get him out of the water

P: Is there ice in Utah? (her eyes are huge at this point and I can just see her thinking about falling through ice)

M: No

A: uh-ha Mom, there is ice in Utah

(Piper is almost crying by now)

M: No honey, not like this

P: Can our floor break?

M: No, sweetie

P: Can the tile break?

M: No sweetie

A: Uh-hu, if a giant came and stepped on it.

I turned off the movie and declared it to be naptime.

Here Comes Christmas...

Oh boy- it is prett much here, and I am not ready! I still need to wrap a bunch of gifts, get s few family presents, stocking stuffers, oh my! And I am trying to get my house in perfect shape for my parents when they come to stay on Saturday (I am no longer aiming for perfet- trying to get to just plain acceptable- wish me luck). I need some help!

P.S. You need to check out this blog. A bunch of my fav designers got together and did a 12 Days of Christmas freebie give- away! Just click on each can to get to that designer's site and download them (just a warning: most are heavy on the number of downloads).

Let Him In...

Yesterday, after Whit & I took the kiddies pics in The Pecans (thanks for the idea, Delanie!), we got to go to Michael McLean's Forgotten Carols. If you haven't seen this- you need to! Buy ticketes next year!

It's been a family traditon to go see this every year since I was a teen, but I haven't gone since Adi was 10 months. It has changed a lot (there's a different woman playing Constance- not sure if I like that), but it is still so wonderful! It really puts the Christmas Spirit in your heart and gives you those tingly-tanglys! I was trying to find some of the music to put on here, but I just couldn't find any! Check it out here- my fav songs (well, I love all of them) are: Three Kings Found the Lord, Arise and What I Need. So beautiful!

What- Two Santas?

Yep, we went and saw the Big Guy today at Aunt Whitney's work. Adi was a little reticent, but she climbed up (the idea of toys from him got her there), but she still had a hard time telling him about the Hannah Montana doll that she wants. Porter-boy had no problems sitting on his lap (he found his beard quite interesting), but Piper refused to even go near him, even after he tried to bribe her with a candy cane. I had to drag her over to be near him and ended up having to pose with them, hold her tight, and try to position my body so that she couldn't see the jolly old elf.

He was an awesome Santa- he even curled his beard! A little skinny, but his suit was nice and so was he! I'm pretty sure that he was LDS too, he noticed the CTR ring Pipes was sporting and explained to her what it meant (of course she already knew, but she was way too scared to tell him that). Oh, and he came with his very own elves!

Afterwards, the kiddies and I went to Chick-Fil-A (the best place ever), and as we were leaving, guess who shows up there? Yep, St. Nick! A different one- he had a fake beard, but still looked nice- but I was burned out, Porter was crying for a bottle, and I just honestly wanted to go home. So in the true spirit of Ebenezer, I told the kids that Santa wanted a chicken sandwich and we should let him eat. I know, so mean! When Piper said she still wanted to see him (why, you may ask), Adi looked at her like she was crazy and said, "Why? He already knows what we want. We told him already!" We told the kids that Santa brings only one present and Mom & Dad will provide the rest. So glad Adison actually listens to us- can't really say the same for Miss Piper, she marches to her own mini drummer.

Wondering where I got the awesome alpha? Check it out here! It's free!

These, Our Little Ones

Anyone else a little late on reading their Ensign this month? I kept putting off reading it, justifying this by thinking that I has way too many Christmas things to do. Yesterday, Adi was sick with a fever, Piper was coughing like a seal, and Porter was up all night (nope, no real reason that I could tell), so we stayed home from Church. I decided that it was perfect time to read. President Hinckley's message, These, Our Little Ones was amazing! I was crying half way through it! It really made me look at my parenting style and realize what I need to fix, and where I might actually be doing ok. Please read it!

Good Quote:

“A child loves the smiles of its mother, but hates her frowns."

-Brigham Young

A night off...

No new pics to scrapbook for my Christmas Days Calendar. I ran around town this morning & afternoon, went to my local Walmart tonight, and had Adi throw up again tonight. Not much time for a Christmas activity in there!

I Believe...

We have deemed Friday nights as movie nights in our family (right now the only rule I enforce is that it has to be a Christmas movie... nothing like forced Holiday Cheer). Last night, Adi chose to watch The Polar Express. We ate pizza and danced with "Hot Chocolate". Fun, Fun!

Adi, however, woke up last night and threw up again twice- once on the couch (I was asleep so OP cleaned that up) and once on our bed (on OP's side, hee hee). Stomach flu stinks! Poor little Adi :(

Is your Christmas shopping done yet? I have a few tiny details I need to take care of (what do you give an 8 month old for stocking stuffers anyway), and then I'll be ready to celebrate this great Holiday! Wish me luck against the crazy crowds!

**everything is in this page is from Tangie**

Thanks for the stockings, Mom!

Sale at our store!

Just wanted to give myself a little free advertising... come check it out!

There's how many more days until Christmas?!

What time is it?

HSM2 time!

For those of you who aren't in the know, HSM2 stands for High School Musical 2, which just hit the shelves yesterday! OP, who is know considered the best Daddy ever, brought it home for the girls yesterday (and Rylee). I, being the grouch that I am apparantly, thought that it should be kept as a Christmas present, but OP wanted the girls to have it now. So Iguess what I watched ALL DAY yesterday? YUP. Makes me miss Hairspray.

*** kit by Tangie!***

'Tis the Season For Giving, Not Recieving!

That's the difficult lesson Piper had to learn yesterday at the dollar store. As we picked out gifts for Adi, Piper kept telling me all the stuff she wanted and I'd explain to her that we weren't here to buy for ourselves. This little bit of info was too much for her 3 year-old mind to wrap itself around... we ended up comprimising with a pack of pink gum for her and the rest of the cart for everyone else. Adi, however, had a great ole time shopping for others... but that sweetheart had always enjoyed giving more than recieving. At her birthdays she is known to give away some of her presents because she gets s many and no one else has any!

Bythe way... the purpose of going to the dollar store to keep the cost down is defeated when you leave and discovered that you spent $50 between the two of you!

**kit by Tangie!**

Awww, the cold & flu season (& thrush, too)

I think that we are having a competition in the Merrill house: who can get the most sick and who the least amount of sleep? Drumroll please... Adi the first, Mom the second. Adi woke up yesterday morning complaining of a sore throat, but didn't say anything more. Then she woke up last night saying it hurt "so bad", so we used our handy-dandy flashlight, and it sure looks like thrush. Not sure though... then she threw up a couple of times.

Piper woke up with a barking cough.

Will the illnesses never end? Well, at least we had a fun day!

My kiddies are not rugrats...

I promise. They always start the day dressed in nice clothes with their hair done perfectly.

Unfortunately, the girls have their own ideas as to what "perfectly" means- and they usually end up changing their clothes (at least three times- no joke), redoing their hair, and usually getting something funky on themselves while doing so.

Porter-Boy, well, he hate getting dressed, so usually after a diaper-change, I leave him pantsless to avoid a screaming fit (and he likes taking off one sock- that's right, just one).

I promise these kids are well taken care of- yet in all the pages I've posted they look neglected... makes me feel like a bad mom! But, they need self-expression, right?

***I found a new company to get pictures and photo books through- they're called York Photos, and their digital photos are only 10 cents a piece! Plus you get 20 free prints on your first order! They don't do 12 x 12 books yet, but they do work exactly like Snapfish so it's very easy to use! Try it out!

Big Ole' Box of Pasghetti?

As we were watching the beginning of White Christmas (my girls' current favorite Christmas movie to watch),

Adi wanted to know why the men were ducking. I explained that they were trying to avoid being hit by bombs.

"What are bombs?"

"Things that explode when they are dropped."

"What do they look like?" Who knows what a bomb looks like? Not me!

"Ummm... they look like, ummm...."

"A big ole' box of pasghetti?"

Oh my- children really can make you feel so much better by just being them!

Adi & Pipes fav part:

Another day, another page

Soo tired, can't post... Porter is revolting against the bottle!

P.S. I have to point out that I added a new link on the right column... I just bought a bunch of stuff from Scentsy on Saturday- it's really cool because the warmer is plugged into the wall so there's no fire involved (so my Pipes won't blow it out constantly) and the bars only cost $4 a piece and they are supposed to last as long as a big Gold Canyon candle. Love it! (Plus, if enough people order through me, I get a prize... get to work Mom!)

Throwing in the Towel

Well, Porter-Boys thrush has returned... so I have decided to throw in the towel. I'm going to Costco and buying some formula and then to Walmart to get the Nuk bottles (Porter loves his Nuk binki so I thought that their bottle would make the transition that much easier). It's not going to be easy though, Porter hates bottles... OP says that when he gets hungry enough, he'll take it. But if you know me, you know my position on letting a baby cry it out (refuse to do it). Wish us luck!

P.S. Just a sidenote on the girls' " jammies": After many, many long and hard battles that usually result in lots of tears (on both ends)and Pipes changing into what she wants after I put them into bed anyway, I've decided that the girls are allowed to choose their own pj's, no matter how many cute ones they have and ridiculous their choices may be at times. What's the point? Who sees them at night, anyway?

Started off Good, then bad, then wonderful...

I lost $80 dollars today- or should I say it was taken from me? Then when I got to leave in my car... it wouldn't start. Yep... just the kind of day I had. Started off fun, running errands with the kids, Christmas shopping, but then some man decided to make my load a little bit lighter by taking $80 out of my pocket in Michaels. Helpful, eh? I didn't discover this fact, however, until I went to pay at Staples. I rushed back to my car to drive back to Michaels, started my car, but instead of the trusty roaring to ife, I hear "click, click,".

Dead battery.

Thankfuly, a sweet older gentleman stoppd and gave my car a jump... and restored my faith in mankind. Unfortunately, I was too busy tring not to burst into tears that I didn't get his name or address so I could properly thnak him. Yet, I am still oh-so-grateful for the help!

Luckily, the night ended delightfully with helping the girls' make their very own gingerbread houses. Sure, they aren't the best looking things (thanks mostly to my lack of planning), but they're theirs!

Christmas Scrappin'

Nothin' like a good freebie to start off the day!

Take a peek...

Don't forget to check out our new Etsy site!

100th Post!

I can't believe that I have done that many posts- maybe I need to consider getting a new hobby...

Anyway, here is Day3 of my Days of Christmas... I thought that it would be nice to actually post the page on the day it happened- we'll see if I can keep it up! We got to watch Audrey & Janessa today; Audrey is only 3 days older than Porter, so I got a small taste of what twins would be like and let me tell you I think that I'm gonna stick to having babied one at a time, thank you very much!

Christmas Spirit...

Finally, the Christmas Spirit has entered our abode! I wasn't really feeling it until we put up the tree last night. Something about the twinkling lights put a perma-grin on my face, even though Porter kept throwing up all over the rest of me. Poor Porter Boy has that stomach bug that is floating around... he hasn't been able to hold down food since yesterday afternoon... luckily I have a nurse in the family that I called for help!

Piper decided that every pink ornament was hers (which isn't true since last year she liked purple), so her and Adi kept arguing about that. Adi could hang things "up high" on the tree, which upset Pipes because she just couldn't reach as high... but then when the finale of White Chistmas came on, they both agreed that they wanted Rosemary & Vera's dresses- Piper's exact quote was, "I love her dress!". Adi liked the ballerinas, and she mimicked their dancing for us!

My Mom decided to brag about the snow in Utah- it makes me feel homesick. I keep telling myself we'll be there in a couple of weeks...

Days of Christmas...

Sooo glad the boutique is over! Now I can have time to recoup from mine & Porter's shared illness; if that's possible :) I'm staying at home from Church today due to my two eldest children's colds... it's hard to get them to miss church because they cry and cry and cry, thus I promised a super good FHE tonight to make up for it (I'm supposed to be looking up the lesson as we speak)!

I got the idea for a "Days of Christmas Book" from a site I found while blog-surfing... so cute! Now, onto FHE lesson!

***P.S. Check out our Etsy Site!****

Don't Forget!

Come Thursday, Friday and Saturday! We didn't get pics of all our products up on the site, but you have to come and see them!

Ever had one of these days?

This is what happened when my bath was interrupted...

I think I need a vacation

Nope, no posting lately... not really doing much lately besides sewing and holding babies! I don't think I ever want to make a baby blanket again. But, on the flip-side, Lindy and I have made some pretty cute stuff! I just can't wait for this week to be over!



Last night, Porter's thrush came back with a vengance, and I think that the both of us got a combined sleep of two hours last night... the good part is that I'm learning just how little sleep I can run off of. Adi also woke up saying her belly hurt and she had a raging fever. But that's all the symptoms she has. This morning she can barely walk because her belly hurts so bad... any ideas as to what this mysterous ailment is?


Here's a picture from our 2nd Thanksgiving of all the reluctant boys! I better go now, Adi is calling!
P.S. I had an awesome Black Friday! I divided and conquered with my sister and she got me a new camera at Walmart while Lindy and I attacked the Joanne's Flannel from opposite sides and got all the cutest fabric... I knew standing in line since 4 am would do some good :)

Thanksgiving, Part One

Tonight was our Traditional Thanksgiving feast with my little sis Whit. We had turkey with all the trimmings- that's right Mom- I made Grandpa's stuffing and even my own gravy (first time ever- it tasted decent!). Chris, Piper and I sipped happily away on our Martinellis, Poter ate his food off of the floor (he screamed in is seat while I tried to feed him, but when I put him on the floor to play, he ate up his crumbs), and Orrin & Adi enjoyed their green beans!

For those meeting us for Part 2: here's a little preview of what I've been baking up!

P.S. We've watched Hairspray 4 times and counting!

This will count for tomarrow's post...

Porter is sick. Again.

Mommy is sick. Again.

The house is in turmoil. Again.

After much, much, much pain while nursing my little Stripling Warrior- and after an almost-full night of no sleep- I took myself and Porter back to dear Dr. Lamb and discovered that Porter has thrush and has thusly given it to me. Thanks, little buddy.

At least this time I left the girls with Kim... if I told you what happened last time you'd understand why this is something that I greatly appreciate (let's just say Piper was extremely interested in what Dr. Lamb was doing while the poor, embarrased doctor was holding my screaming infant and examining my "hurting area" at the same time).

So, whilest I try to bake a thousand cookies for Thanksgiving, fold laundry that has currently taken over my family room couch, and make the Thanksgiving craft I've planned to do with the girls for nearly a month now, I'm trying to not scream in pain while nursing my poor, crying baby.

Not to sound ungrateful, I must mention that I am picking up my copy of Hairspray in the morning and am planning a full day of watching it on repeat while my girlies dance around!
**1 am edit: Orrin brought home my very own copy (yes)!**

And just to make you smile... here is a video of Adi helping Pipes say the scripture at Family Night. Turn up your volume because my camera stinks and you can barely hear them. Oh, by the way- their outfits were by their own choice (I told them to dress nice for Family Home Evening- my own fault)!

Scrappy Blue Stones

Gotta love these freebies!

I've been busy, ok!

Sorry I haven't posted pics (or anything really) lately, but, as stated above, I've been a little preoccupied! The kiddies and I did meet Whit & Chris at the park yesterday for lunch, so I thought I'd share some of the fun with you!

**Frames by Tangie!**

If Pipes was a superhero, her power would be...

Non-stop talking!

I caught a video last night (neither of them knew I was recordin them... so sneaky) of Piper talking away and OP just trying to watch Smallville- this is the first episode that he has made it home in time to watch in weeks.

Piper literally rattled on for 28 minutes NON-STOP last night! Orrin tried to watch Smallville and (kind of) listen to her- but I don't think he absorbed much of either!

By the way- did I mention that Porter is mobile now?

Oh yeah- I think he watched his cousin Madden crawling all over and figured if Madden can do it, so can he!

P.S. I've been a bit busy lately, so my posting has been slacking! I've been working on boutique items, then Porter and I got sick, housework, family visiting, etc. Just when I thought everything has settled down, Porter work up this morning with a HOT fever...

Why I haven't been posting so much...

I've been working on some things to sell at this boutique... which I just realized is in a couple of weeks! Eeeek! Check out our little site we just started for a preview of what we'll be selling (more to come). And don't worry- if you think you might forget about stopping by, I'll be posting reminders (ok- I want people there... so sue me)!

Freebie Find!

Sweet Made has some awesome freebies!

Scrapping...

I haven't had much time to scrap, but I did this the other night during Porter's 2 am feeding (I figure as long as I'm up, I might as well be doing something productive).

**Page was made with 1990 Something Kit**

I've been tagged...

Kayla tagged me about 6 things you may not know about me- so here we go...


1. I am a dishes freak. I hate having dirty dishes in the sink and cannot relax until they are done- I'm not kidding or exaggerating. They also have to be done my way- so OP pretty much never has to help (he's so sad about that) I am also known for having to do them at other's houses (I don't hear many complaints about that).



2. I'm an avid reader and book collector. I don't like getting books from the library because I just like the feel and smell of a good book (I know- weird, right?), plus I like to keep good ones around because I reread my favs often! In this past year I have read 58 books (and counting)- but I was on bed rest for a couple of months so I got a few extra in! By the way, I just finished Go Forward With Faith, and while I am going to miss having a daily dose of inspiration from President Hinckley, I have now moved on to another book. Check the right-hand column for more!

3. I watch the Disney channel... after I put my kids to bed. I know, it's embarrassing, but I like watching Hannah Montana, Cory in the House, and Phil of the Future. What can I say? I prefer these innocent shoes over the trash that seems to be on every other channel. Plus I don't miss any major plot lines when I put laundry away.

4. I really, truly enjoy cooking. I like creating my own recipes (you've got to try Chicken Poppers!), following traditional hand-me-down, tried-and-true delicious dishes (usually Nanny's), and sometimes (on those headache days) things that are out of a box. I like sitting down as a family without any outside distractions and just being together... I like having breakfast and dinner all together as a family and knowing that it is going to happen every day :)

5. I like painting- not on a canvas and not crafts- I like painting the inside of my home. The girl's room has been painted three times (in two years), Porter's room twice, and every other room (except the office- but I already have the paint, just need the time) has had it's own special color splattered on the walls. I'm not saying I'm good at it- I'm not. I have a special talent of getting paint under the blue tape that I spent an hour putting up and having uneven lines because of it. But I love doing it.

6. There is nothing I like more than pictures. I currently have 12 albums full- yep, 12 and that doesn't include the 7 scrapbook albums. And I'm about 6 months behind on my picture developing (I must be Snapfish's #1 customer). I love displaying pictures of those I love- especially my kiddies. I figure that I don't need any other artwork since these babies are my masterpiece.

I now pass this along to Whitney, Mom, Lindy and Emily!

Another new favorite store

There are just too many! I'd like to add Sweet Shoppe Designs to my list of wonderfully beautiful digi-scrap stores that you HAVE to visit. I just bought this kit:

The designer, Scarlett Heels, has a bunch of awesome freebiese on her blog. Check it out, baby!

Happy Birthday, Grandma B.

Love Ya!

Just a quick quote...

Anyone who knows me at all, knows about my great love affair with quotes. For some reason, finding a good quote that really speaks to me just makes my day. Today I found a wonderful one in Go Forward With Faith, which I am still working on (who'd a thought that having 3 kids would severly limit your reading time?)...

"I know that I am a child of God, part of His creation and that Adam is my father... [But] there was one after that, and that was Eve. She was the crowning creation. Don't you young men ever think that you're so smart in comparison with young women. The Lord created you... and then, as his prime creation, He created woman-Eve, she was the sublime, ultimate in all His creations. Don't any of you young men develop any kind of a superiority complex. It isn't scriptural."

-Gordon B. Hinkley

Now, as a mother of two daughters... I just love that quote. Hope it made you stand just a bit taller!

Here's for you, Mommy Dearest...

IkeaGoddess- I'm not sure exactly how I found this blog, but I love it! Almost everyday she gets on and lists different blogs where you can go to find freebies!

Amy W. also does the same thing & she gives out some of her own freebies!

Happy Scrapping!

My Big Girl

I finally got Piper's 3 years-old picture taken! Isn't it just perfect? Piper was completely hamming it up for the photographer! I can't believe my baby girl is already 3- wasn't she just turning 1? She is now starting to sound out what letters certain words start with (Adi has been teaching her). She can also sing (and I am NOT exaggerating) every word from every song from High School Musical 1 & 2, most of the songs from Hairspray, and is currently trying to teach herself "Teach Me To Walk". Just this morning she was telling me how I am the "most beautiful girl in the whole world" and how she's going to wear all of my shoes when she's a mommy. She also decided this morning that OP doesn't need a job because he "can just stay home and help mommy." She's headstrong, soft-hearted, and oh-so-loyal... my little Piper Pauline.

**Glitter frame is by Decrow Designs**

Just finished this page:

**Kit from Miss Huneybuney at Elemental Scraps. Font is 2Peas Scrapbook.**

The kids, the wii and the camera-happy me :)

We went to Thatcher this last weekend to visit Orrin's grandparents who were in town (and whom we haven't seen in two years), but also played just a bit!

**both pages are made from kits by Mindy Teresawa**

Old pic, new page...

Happy Halloween!

Maybe someday I'll learn how to get pictures onto a post without them being set-up weird... Anyway, the highlight of last night? No, it wasn't the stew or the homemade bread, or even all of the cookies and candies and fun; it was watching the girls play "Trick or Treat" once they got home, and seeing

Pipes actually sharing her candy! I know- I was shocked! Unfortunately, OP ended up working all last night (he didn't get home until afer 10), but the girls took out candy from their bags and left some for him :) Now, onto worrying about Christmas...

P.S. We missed you Mom, hope you didn't freeze up in Utah!

Growing up, and up and up...

Porter had his 7 month checkup (actually his 6 monthm but I'm a little behind!). And just to let all you people who call this bouncing baby HUGE- he is in the 50th percentile for his height and weight... meaning he is perfectly average. His head is 50th percentile too!