Sleepyhead

This is what total exhaution looks like when you are Ethan:

Apparently, he was just so tired that he couldn't even turn his head to one side or the other....just planted it right straight down in the mattress and gave up for the night! :-)

Bummer.....

Hey everyone!

Well, I didn't win....but I sooooooooooo appreciate all of you who voted for me! :-)

The ones I know....
Jill
Julie
and Kenzie (oooohhhhh, wait, that's right....Kenzie didn't vote for me.)

GOTCHA Kenz! :-) lol

And some I didn't....
Donna, Beth, twithhoney, anonymous--twice--, Patti, Holly, and Kirst (some new friends, thank you!)

It was worth a shot--maybe next time!

Shameless Begging

***EDIT: 10:48 a.m.***

AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

She extended voting until 1 p.m. today....GO VOTE!! I am one of the frontrunners....how exciting!! :-)

Alright. I am asking, no.....begging for your help here.

Remember this picture and this contest that I mentioned about a week ago?

Well, the voting for it has begun, and I have several votes, but there is one lady who has more than me! I have never won a contest like this before, so....

Please, if you love me (and you know that you do) take literally two minutes to go to this post at My Semblance of Sanity and leave a comment that says, "I vote for Devin!!"

I will be forever grateful. Thank you.

Thank You

I wanted to post this video on Easter, but because of the 'time constraints' of that very busy day, I wasn't able to.

I have loved this song, and the message behind it, for a long time. I so enjoy singing it, and about a week ago, I was in my car listening to Sanctus Real's CD, and this song came on. I thought to myself, "What a perfect song for Easter...."

"I am not sure why He chose me, but Thank you Jesus! Thank you for what you have done for me...."

Hope you will take 2 1/2 minutes to listen, read the lyrics, and enjoy this music. (By the way, I do not know the man in this video--just did a search on You Tube--but I thought he did a really good job making this!)

Sanctus Real, "Thank You".

A year makes a BIG difference

I thought the comparison from last year's Easter picture .....to this year's Easter picture ......was really neat!

My babies are growing up so fast....

Colin's special egg

Colin got a very special egg for Easter.....a GOOSE egg! :-)

He was playing "chase" on an indoor playground with another boy on Saturday, and his forehead accidentally met up with the corner of a wall....OUCH! He's pretty tough, but shed a few tears over this one!
He informed me this morning that he didn't like this egg as well as the rest of the eggs he got for Easter. :-)

From all of us to all of you....

Happy Easter!

We have had a very exhausting (but wonderful!) day so far today (which I will post all about at another time), but I just wanted to take a minute and post a few pictures from church this morning, and wish everyone a wonderful day!

***Man, isn't this guy handsome?***

I'm off for a nap....been up since 5 this morning! :-)

Ephesians 4:32

Ephesians 4:32 "Be ye kind, one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you."


For some reason, Cameron decided to say the last 2/3 of this verse with a duck mouth. I have no idea why he did it, and actually filmed him saying the verse again (the right way) after he was done saying it this way. So, I have two versions of him doing this verse. I was going to put up the regular version, but decided at the last minute to do this one instead.....it was just too funny to pass up!

Remembering

Today, I am writing for the benefit of me only....so that in 10 years, I will be able to look back at all the different posts from when the boys were little, and be glad that I didn't neglect to post anything.

Though this post is strictly for my remembrance purposes, I hope you enjoy it too.

There are a few more funny things that Colin has done/said lately:
1. "I want Guhnola cereal mommy." (I think that mispronunciation is so cute.)

2. Today, he asked for 'teeter-totters' for lunch (that would be tater-tots).

3. Colin has had a 'snotty' nose for a couple of days now. As we were sitting in a relatively nice restaraunt on Saturday having lunch, Colin proudly proclaimed, "Look Daddy!" He had blown a snot bubble out of his nose, and it was just sort of sitting there, right above his lip, just glaring at all of us. (For Jason and Roger who are dying to know--it was about the size of a quarter.) While Cameron and Shane were laughing hysterically, I was mortified and quickly asked Shane to "take care of that!" What does he do? Shane proceeds to try to blow it off of Colin's nose, I suppose in hopes that when it released itself, it would fly away into the air like regular bubbles do....

Being the only girl in a house full of boys is hard some days.

4. Colin and Cameron have been learning Ephesians 4:32 this week (video to come soon): "Be ye kind, one to another; tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you." They both had some difficulty remembering the last phrase, so for a few days we just kept repeating it over and over....."Even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. Even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. Even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you."

Saturday, we went to the mall for a family outing (they have a great indoor play area at a mall about 30 minutes from us) and eventually we all needed to take a trip to the 'family' bathroom. Colin had to do some business ('nuff said, and gross in a public bathroom, but what do you do?) and when he was done, Shane walked over to him to.....let's just say to do the honors. Colin was on one of those really tiny kid potties, and when he was bent over, he was dangerously close to the floor.

Shane noticed this, and said to him, "Colin, do NOT touch the floor."

(By the way, I would like to take this moment to say that I am so glad that my hubby is as germ-phobic as I am.....)

Anyway, Colin said, "Okay Daddy." He was quiet for a second, then started repeating, "Do NOT touch the floor. Do NOT touch the floor. Do NOT touch the floor.....even as God for Christ's sake has NOT touched the floor."

Shane and I looked at each other and almost died. What this child comes up with....

But I am thankful his memory verses are in the forefront of his mind!

Camo boys

The Merritt boys love all things Camo....

Thanks Grandma MJ for our new Camo shirts!

(Mommy loves that we all match!)

Seriously....Is it Spring yet?

Speaking of the post just below....this just about sums up how the Merritt boys have been feeling lately!

****I have entered a fun contest (a new one for me!) Michelle is asking for us to post a hilarious photos (of anything we want). You then add a funny caption to make the photo even funnier! You can visit Michelle at My Semblance of Sanity, and enter the contest, too, if you would like (or, in the very least, go vote for my entry please!) :-)****

Colin's invention

What is it they say about necessity is the mother of all invention?

Well, when it's freezing outside, and you can't go to the park.....you make the park come to you.

As Colin has figured out.....

You take one ordinary Gazelle

You take the cushion from one ordinary glider

You add some imagination, and you've created a park swing!

The 'seat' of this park swing can also be removed to create a jungle gym.

Shane and I both thought this was the funniest thing, when we walked into the office to discover what Colin had 'invented.' So far, it has provided literally hours of entertainment for the two of them! The boys both have a major case of stuck-inside-itis....at least, if we aren't able to get out to the jungle gyms and swings at the park just yet, we can have one right here in the house!

Overheard in the Merritt household last month

Setting: Colin has had a runny nose for about a week--constantly running.
Mommy: "Colin, tonight we are having one of your favorite soups for dinner!"
Colin: "What soup, Mom?"
Mommy: "Tortellini soup!"
Colin, completely elated: "Yay!!" Then, in about 2 seconds, his face dissolves from elation into utter disappointment, and he says:

"Oh mom, I can't eat soup tonight....my runny nose will run straight into the soup!"

********

Cameron's new phrase: "What's that all about mommy?" (which sounds more like, 'what sat all bout, mommy?')

Setting: O'Charlie's restaraunt.

Date: Valentine's Day. Mommy and the boys come over to Champaign to surprise daddy and take him out to a special Valentine's lunch. The Merritts are seated at a table that is right in front of a utility closet. The Merritts are all seated and eating semi-peacefully. Enter waitress, who comes by the Merritt's table and then opens the door to the utility closet, goes inside, and closes the door.
And....Action!

Cameron, looking at the waitress, and watching her every move, sees her go into the closet and proclaims loudly: "What sat all bout, Mommy?" for all the restaraunt to hear. Nearly everyone sitting around us laughs, which he notices, and then he lets out a giant laugh, which made them all laugh more.....vicious circle.

This has since become Cameron's favorite phrase, and he says it constantly.

********

Colin has recently been working on numbers, and has become very aware of the number 4. He knows that he is 4 years old, and knows that he wears a size 4T. He has to check everything he puts on--his coat, his pants, his shirts--and make sure they are his by making sure they say "4T."

Since I have begun my quest to lose weight, I have kept the scale out and on the bathroom floor. This has been an object of fascination, of course, and the other day I was teaching them what the purpose of the scale is.

Mommy: "See, you step on the scale and it weighs you--it tells you how many pounds you are in numbers!"
Colin decides that he wants to see how big he is, and steps on the scale. He looks at me, puzzled, and says:
"Mommy, this is wrong."
I am puzzled, because while Colin does recognize many numbers, I know that he doesn't know how much he weighs to know if it is wrong or not.
Mommy: "What do you mean it is wrong?"
Colin: "Well the numbers are wrong.....why does it not say 4T?"

********

Colin loves to compliment me, and has found a new word to do so: Expensive.

Colin (when I am all dressed and ready for church): "Mommy, you look so expensive."
When I am actually dressed with makeup on and my hair done (could be any time of the week, but do you get the feeling it doesn't happen often, since he is asking me this question?)
"Mommy, you look so expensive....is it date night?" or "Mommy, you look very expensive, is it church today?"
Obviously, those are the two occasions that Colin has learned gets me out of my PJ's.

********

Words Colin still says wrong but that I don't have the heart to correct because I know it won't be much longer that he is still my 'little boy':

Explorer: kasplorer
Refrigerator: fridge-a-frator
Vanilla: ranilla
Surprise: kaprise
Kiwi (as in, the juice that we drink is strawberry-kiwi): weegi (Can I have strawberry-weegi juice mommy?)
And one of my favorite phrases: "You scared me out of death, mommy!"

********

Cameron has this new thing where no matter what you say to him, he says, "I'm a gock" which, in translation is, "I'm a shark." Then, he pretends to be biting you while making what he figures is a good biting noise, which sounds like someone trying to hack up a lung....it really is very funny. He loves anything with fish and loves watching Nemo and seeing the part with the sharks.

While sitting at the lunch table:
Mommy: Boys, we are having tacos for lunch today! (I was getting rid of leftover taco meat)
Cameron, looking unsure, begins what I believe is going to be some protesting over my choice of lunch, so I quickly say, "Sharks love tacos Cameron!"
Both boys quickly get all into this game. You can just see on their faces that they are thinking, "Yay! We are going to pretend we are sharks and eat all of our tacos!"
The boys are at least 1/2 way thru their tacos, and loving them. The game is working really well, until my smarter-than-he-should-be-4-year-old says,
"Hey! Sharks don't like to eat tacos.....so, I am just going to turn back into a boy so that I can finish eating my lunch!"

********

Colin was examining my nail polish in church one night. Now, he knows that blue is for boys and pink (which I currently have on my nails) is for girls.
Colin (who, remember, is my nail biter): "Mommy, I think I am going to let my nails grow out so that I can wear nail polish too."
Mommy: "Well, you know how only mommies wear make-up, not daddies? And how only mommies have purses?"
Colin: "Yeah..."
Mommy: "Well, it the same way for nail polish. Only mommies wear nail polish. Not daddies or boys."
Colin, thinking for a minute, then says: "Even if I wear blue?"
Mommy, smiling and holding back a laugh: "No, bud, even if you wear blue."

********

Cameron was asleep in his bed at naptime one day, and Colin had woken up. Ethan was awake as well, and I needed to take a shower. So, I asked Colin if he would play with Ethan in their room while mommy took a quick shower. He of course said, "Sure!" so I gated them off in their bedroom and hopped into the shower.

I had the door open, so that I could listen to them playing, to make sure they were okay, when all of a sudden I hear Colin yelling. I listened, and quickly discerned that it was a play yell, and not and "I need you right now because something is wrong" yell. Shortly after Colin began yelling, Ethan started in....I am thinking to myself, well, I guess Cameron will be up pretty soon!

Several minutes goes by and I get out of the shower. Amazingly, I walk by the room to find that Cameron, despite the intense hollering, is still asleep! Colin then comes out of his room and says to Shane:

"Dad? I was playing with Ethan in our bedroom, and we were both hollering really loud....It's a miracle, but God kept Cameron asleep the whole time!"

Verses of the week

Several people have inquired what I am doing to teach the boys their verses, and I will share with you a tip (that was given to me by my friend who is a mother of seven) that has worked wonderfully for us. We put our verse for the week on a 3x5 card, and I fold the card to make a 'tent' (the verse is just written on one side, so the entire verse is facing you when you look at the card). Then, I set it on our dining room table. Since the verse is always in plain view every time we are eating, it is a perfect opportunity to work on learning it! The boys and I work everyday at breakfast and at lunch. At dinner, when daddy comes home, the boys show him their progress by reciting what they know so far--so, really, we are working on it then, too!

So far, the plan is working. Cameron is going along at about 1/2 the speed of Colin (which is to be expected, of course); Colin has 5 verses memorized now, and Cameron has 2. They know some short phrases of some other verses as well.

It is so amazing to see how quickly a 2 and a 4 year old can learn a verse, and I am continually fascinated at how well Cameron and Colin are doing! I am keeping a chart for each of them in my office, and each time they master a new verse, they get to put a sticker on the chart, and I write the reference and the date they learned it. Stickers, it turns out, are big motivators! I am also keeping a sheet for each of them that has each verse they have memorized, along with the reference, typed out on it. That way, I have all the verses they have done in one place, so it easy when it comes time for review!

Now, for your viewing pleasure.....




Psalm 34:8 "O taste, and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him."





Deuteronomy 6:5 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might."