Oui Merci!

Flannel Pantaloon Pajamas

2011-12-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

So, my sweet very girlie daughter does not wear pants! Last year I made all the kids pajama pants an she didn't wear hers. She didn't look like a girl. So, thanks to Mikes brilliant brain, I made her pantaloons to go under all her nightgowns, and I made them out of white flannel! Now she can be a girl and be warm at the same time. Mike thinks that I should make and sell these on Etsy or something along with other things I occasionally make. I have looked and there are lots of cute pajamas and cute pantaloons but no pantaloons that are pajamas. Now here is my question, would people actually buy them? What to you think?

Close-up detail of the eyelet (I LOVE eyelet)

2011-12-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I did try to post Halloween a couple weeks ago but could not get it to work in the computer. Of course I wait until after Thanksgiving to try again though! I told the kids I would make them either a Halloween pillowcase they could enjoy all month long or a new costume they wear one day. I was convincing enough to save time, money and anxiety (all the Halloween stores and tough decisions). They chose...wisely!

The kids getting ready for the candy fest! You will notice that Isabelle has a different costume then the one she chose for school.

Batman! Muscles and all!

One of the THREE princesses that Isabelle was this year. I told the kids they had to pick from what they had and she went for it all the way!

Yay Buzz! I loved this costume on Collin and I love it on Mason. Mason was just the right age so that when he ran, his 2 year old run looked just like how Buzz runs!

Life Lately!

2011-10-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of life lately. Mason just being 2 and enjoying any and every bit of attention that he can get. And he is sure cute enough to be constantly adored!!

Collin's first day of Cub Scouts! He is very enthusiastic about it right now! It is really cute. I hope it will last!

Isabelle's first day of Kindergarten!! I can't believe she is old enough but at the same time I can't believe she hasn't been in school already. She loves to have her picture taken - if you couldn't tell! I love to dress her like a little English school girl! Can you tell I wish the kids wore uniforms?

Big Baptism Day!
It was a lovely day. I probably stressed too much but I hope that Collin will remember it well!

It has been 8 years! Time really does fly. It is not just a cliche!

Photo Shoot on the Beach

2011-08-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

Collin is getting baptized in a couple of weeks and I wanted to print a nice invitation up. I thought that it would be nice to have a beach shot of him in the sand or water or something, so I got the kids up early and dressed and we went to the beach. I tortured my almost 8 year old by making him take picture after picture before he could play. The sun was a little higher than we wanted and right in his eyes! We got some great shots though! Most of them were of the portrait orientation and the invitation layout I ended up picking was landscape of course. In the actual invitation you cannot tell Collin is at the beach - which he pointed out to me - as it is just a head shot. These are a couple other pictures from the day. I will post the winning picture and other good ones of Collin in a future post. For now enjoy these!

Isabelle needs no help posing at all.

I liked this shot a lot. Collin just picked a fun and natural pose and you can see the water behind him.

Daily life (ha! not really)

2011-05-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

Yay for Disneyland! Although the price of living in So Cal is high, there are some definite perks! Days off can be spent like this!

So yeah, we don't really get to go on big fancy vacations but how often can Aurora meet Aurora? We were actually really lucky to find her out in the park and not in the Fantasy Faire where the line is 90 minutes long!

Indiana Hase. I think that Collin wanted to dress up this time because whenever Isabelle is a princess she gets treated like one! All the workers comment and she feels special. Collin enjoyed preferential treatment too!

Sleeping Beauty in front of her castle!

Pillowcase Tradition?

2011-01-20T14:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, so last year my fabulous sister-in-law made really cute personalized pillowcases for the entire family, with 3 different fabrics, french seams and everything. So, I decided that I would make the kids Christmas pillowcases and they pick out their own fabric and use them for the month of December. I am now saying that each year I will add another holiday pillowcase. They are easy and don't take too much time, but I may have committed myself to a tradition that I regret later don't follow through on and the kids will be scarred etc. It was fun even though they do not match any of the bedding and these are the newest pictures that I have off the camera to blog about so I will talk about it like it is extremely important and noteworthy!!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-22T16:31:00.000-08:00

So I actually got some pictures up! My third little monkey!

The Musketeer and the witch!

The facial hair

Definitely something brewing behind that sweet face!

Must have them!

2010-10-28T05:55:00.000-07:00

So I walk into the family room and this is what I see! Obviously it was a crazy day looking at the background and this picture isn't recent (those photos have yet to be downloaded) but it is a classic. My baby loves him some Pringles! I love his expression -'Yeah, I'm eating Pringles in the nude - what of it?' I may need to hold an intervention in the future - at least they were multigrain!

Yay for Daddy!

2010-08-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

Just want to say that we love our Daddy. Mike has had to work every day (including weekends) for the last 20 days. The hours are late and yesterday after leaving at 7am he was only home from 2:30 to 6:30 am to get a couple hours of sleep. We are not used to having him gone 70+ hours a week and definitely miss him!!

The Princess turns 4!!

2010-06-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever we went to meet the princesses! After 3 years of living here with passes we finally did it! The line really long and of course Collin would never want to go so I planned a day to take Isabelle, all dressed up in appropriate Princess attire, and get to the Fantasy Faire before it opened. So, instead of waiting 90 minutes, we only waited about 20. My plan worked and we had a great time, now we have to go back and meet more as you only get to meet 3 at a time.

Princess Tiana is her current favorite and she got the Tiana barbie for her birthday so I was really excited that she got to meet her! She even spoke with a Louisiana accent!

Snow White knocking on the 7 Dwarfs (aka the White Rabbit's) cottage.

To make sure that the party was fancy enough for a princess, I used my European tablecloth (finally, after 16 years) and my grandmothers party dishes! So elegant and chic! The red punch was only for the pictures as I did not allow any drinking of punch to take place anywhere near my tablecloth.

Blowing out the candles. It took 4 blows (one for each candle) as mean mommy put them all on different cupcakes for aesthetic purposes!

Cyclops babies!

2010-06-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

So Isabelle is a very girly-girl. She loves pink and princesses and wearing dresses. However, you can tell that she plays a lot with an older brother. She was drawing a bird (on her Princess magna-doodle no less) and she only had room for one eye (manga-doodle art is quite difficult) so she says to me "It's a cyclops bird!" I just started cracking up (instead of my usual 'oh that's nice'). Then she draw it's eggs and says "It's having cyclops babies!" Thanks for the good laugh little girl!

Finally new pictures!

2010-06-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

Easter egg hunt at my cousin Whitley's house! As you can see, her yard is gorgeous and the perfect picturesque place for a proper hunt. Collin truly felt like an explorer looking for treasure!

Isabelle's 'Easter Dress.'
As it was conference on Easter this year I just made a sundress for her. I was trying to imitate Shabby Apple! I love the clothes, but can't justify spending the money on them. I am pretty happy with my result! I have since made her 3 more and her summer wardrobe is complete (she only likes to wear dresses and skirts)!

Yay! My sweet Mason turned 1!!!
This past year went way to fast. Kids grow up way to fast! I really liked the cake (thanks to Suzy for the cupcake pan), but in contrast to the first baby's birthday - I spent 2 days decorating a completely homemade cake for Collin. Third baby - I happened to have all the stuff in the cupboard so completely store bought cake mix and frosting! No piping necessary! Due to personality (not to my baking skills I hope) Mason enjoyed his cake a whole lot more!

No forcing him to eat!! Daddy was only him get it in at a disrable pace. It is fun to have such an eater!

Any thing but Christmas Picutres!

2010-03-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

Mike's birthday cake. How can looking at this much chocolate make you anything but happy?

Look at those chompers!

Our Valentine's Day gingerbread house (Of course it was, I mean wasn't, left over from Christmas)!

Happy Birthday Daddy! We love you!

Yay! Christmas in January!

2010-01-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it really isn't January in these pictures but I am slow about the blogging. Here are some Christmas pictures of the kids!

FB aka Facebook

2009-12-23T15:46:00.001-08:00

Well, I joined the world of Facebook. It is crazy! It was a good thing, I got pictures of Music Man and so far have 40+ friends but it feels quite strange to see everything that everyone talks about, I feel like I have nothing interesting to contribute and then I read about someone putting a roast in. Do people really want to know what I am cooking for dinner? Do I really feel like I am connecting with people? Am I on there to brag about myself, I don't think so but I did have Mike crop a good looking picture so that I would feel that I was being represented as I would like to be (make-up, jewelry) instead of pony-tail mom who just walked home from school. Do I really feel like I have had some contact and conversation with someone over the age of 6? I dunno. So far I have only dipped my toe in the water so we will just have to see how things are when I get in up to my knees (I think a cannonball is out of the question at this point)!

Getting Caught Up!

2009-11-17T10:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween! This is my third Chili Pepper (courtesy of fabulous Auntie Heather). He is soooo cute!

Indiana Jones and lost idol.

Isabelle's baby pumpkin. If you say the word 'baby' she is on board!

The kids at Collin's school parade.

Just trying to get caught up with some blogging and pictures.

Isabelle Pondering Creation

2009-10-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Isabelle: Mommy, why are we peach?

Mommy: Because Heavenly Father made us that way.

Isabelle: I want to be colored.

Mommy: Colored? What color do you want to be?

Isabelle: Purple.

Collin's First Day of First Grade!!

2009-10-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that he started 1st grade! Well actually he started a month ago but here are the pictures!
Mason just couldn't handle all the excitement! We actually started walking to school this year and I really enjoy it! No hassle with parking, unbuckling, getting out the stroller, buckling, dodging all the other cars trying to get home... you get the picture. I don't mind burning a few calories in the process either.

Collin by his classroom and backpack hook

The kids together with their new backpacks. I think Isabelle's had kitty in it but it was still fun!

Mason's Blessing!

2009-07-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

We flew to Utah to have Mason blessed so that we could be with all our family. My brother blessed his baby boy Henry too. Also my niece Emma was baptized! It was a great weekend as Mike's sisters were all there too! It was a crazy whirlwind of a trip and it completely wore us out but it was really worth it.

Are 'professional' portraits worth it?

2009-07-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

If any one reads this blog, please give me your opinion. I got cheesy portraits taken of my first two kids at JcPenny, Sears, Target, etc. when they were newborn infants and I didn't really love how they turned out. We actually took much better pictures ourselves of the kids. I am torn on if I should venture that way again just for the sake of it. My sweet Mason is now 3 months and although we have many great pictures of him and we bought a brand new camera right before he was born to be able to take good pictures I am afraid that he will look back when he is older and feel less loved. My friend April said that happened to her sister (also the 3rd child) and she still feels a little bad. Do I spend the money and accept mediocre pictures or just realize that what we have and take in the furture is enough, or is it?

Life!

2009-06-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

Isabelle at the beach just after she turned the big 3!!!

Collin had a 'Hoedown' for his kindergarten graduation. Here he is dressed as a cowboy and shaking his eggs. Last time he didn't do the actions so we were very proud!!!

Cute smiley boy!

Big Bike Boy!

Mother's Day

2009-05-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

Collin made me this cute potted flower in school and used his own thumbprints for the petals. He was supposed to wait until Sunday to give it to me but after all week telling me he had a surprise he was making for me he made me peek the second he saw me after school on Friday because he was so excited!. The Monday after he told me he wished everyday was Mother's Day. Me too!

While taking pictures of Mason at 3 weeks Isabelle of course had to get in on the action and have 'lots of pictures taken of her too'

Cute baby!!

More cute baby!!

More Mason

2009-05-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

Mason at 1 week. I love his eyebrows, even when they furrow.

Toes!

Big Brother!

Big Sister!

He made it!

2009-05-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I am not pregnant anymore! Mason came on April 19th after LOTS of contractions and 1 push. He is so cute and we all just love him (sometimes Isabelle loves him a little too much).

The view from my delivery room! One of the perks of living here. It made the process a little more relaxing (only a little).

Mason!
He is so cute and such a good baby (so far). I never want to put him down and thanks to my husband, my mom, and my sister-in-law Kathleen who have all been a tremendous help these past two weeks, I haven't really had to put down.
More pictures coming soon!

'Springtime for Merci in Huntington'

2009-04-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

Chocolate!!!I hadn't taken any 'belly shots' this pregnancy and now I know why that has not been a top priority for me! Augh! I am huge! Some teenage boy at church yesterday said that I was 'mego prego' and sadly I couldn't really be offended because it is only too true. I have smuggled my share of basketballs out of the church and other locations. I am waiting for this little guy to make his grand entrance. Well, I always prefer the last bow in the curtain call (reserved for the star) so I guess maybe he wants to wait a little longer to ensure a standing ovation. I really am excited though and will hopefully look back on this picture with fondness...someday.

Collin is in the middle of his first season of baseball (t-ball). He is having a lot of fun, and so is Dad of course. He looks so cute in his uniform. I can't believe that he is growing up so fast and I am officially a mom in organized sports!

Easter!!! I actually dressed the kids up in their Easter outfits 2 weeks ago for church and pictures just in case I wouldn't be available on Easter. As previously documented I was quite available (and large) to attend Easter Sunday so they got to have a repeast but they still look cute! It was a good day.

Pretty Adventurous!

2009-03-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't blog much but I am skilled enough to change the colors of my blog! I will soon learn how to actually download a background. Mike is in full support of me branching out on my own and gaining computer independence but I am still too worried that I will majorly screw something up. I chose some eastery colors (I know, I had better slow down, I am being pretty crazy). Upping my blogging skills is a post baby goal but for right now I am working on at least getting my bills paid (which I do do on line)!

Tagged!

2009-03-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

So my sister Megan tagged me to make me do another blog before my baby comes. This is me and my parents at the Pantages Theatre to see "Wicked" (which my Aunt Shannon got us all free tickets for - yea! - thanks). The show was amazing and now it is not in LA anymore. So even though this was about a year ago it is still fabulous to blog about. I may have already but I don't remember.

Year End Blog Card

2008-12-30T06:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I didn't get Christmas card's out this year. You can only do so much right? Anyway, I decided to just do the post on my blog and tell about the year and show some pictures of the year. It was a great year, I can't believe that it is already over!! The older you get (or the older your kids get) time truly flies by. Maybe I am that much more busy or I am that much more tired, I dunno. I did take pictures of the kids in their Sunday clothes by the tree and everything but that is about as far as it got. What cute crazy kids!! They get along great...most of the time and they love to scream and run around the house. I wish I had just an ounce of their energy (I would probably blog a lot more) and they can always make me smile.
Isabelle has done a lot of growing this year. She is definitely not a baby anymore (although she likes to pretend like shes one saying 'wah' and 'goo goo') . She is absolutely a little princess and wouldn't have it any other way. I told her it was time for her picture and she ran and posed herself sitting under the tree perfectly all by herself. She knows how to use those great big brown eyes of hers. She is a spitfire, truly strong willed little girl (My mom told me that she is as stubborn as I was - I guess I had it comin') which of course I love about her but it also wears me out. It is probably a good thing since we are having a BABY BOY next spring and she have to hold her own between two boys (I don't think that she will mind the attention)!!!
Collin of course started kindergarten this year. I look at baby pictures of him and am amazed at the boy he has become. He is so bright. He catches onto everything and doesn't miss anything. He loves to be involved in whatever we are doing. After watching Ratatoullie, he wanted to learn how to cook, oh excuse me, be a chef. He wanted to cook for himself (not just help mom with cookie dough) and he made (supervised) maccaroni and cheese and because he was very exact in his measurements, it turned out better than mine usually does (I just throw some milk and butter in). Collin is a wonder to me. He loves to love and always knows when to give hugs and when to draw me pictures to cheer me up (after hormonal pregnancy meltdowns usually).!!
A rare picture of our whole family. We need more of these! We are very lucky to live where we do. I never pictured myself living in California but it has been a better fit than we ever imagined and we hope that we live here for some time to come. Mike's job is good and we have all made great friends here. It also helps that some of my family has moved closer and that we live in a popular vacation spot and get some visitors (definitely more than in Reno).
I had the opportunity to do a show this year and play Maria in The Sound of Music at a community theatre in Irvine! I loved it! It is a role that I have always wanted to play (doesn't every body?) and it was as fabulous as I anticipated! This picture is pretty much the only proof I have as Maria has a ton of costume changes and is rarely offstage but I had to get a picture of me in the signature nun habbit. Maria doesn't make a very good nun and about 5 weeks into the run of the show I found out that I was pregnant and we are due to have a baby boy on April 21 of next year. It seem like everytime that I get into a groove with my singing and performing and have visions of granduer the Lord brings me down to earth and reminds me of my eternal duties and blessings and my true role . I am grateful though for every chance I have to do a show!! I love and it makes me whole. I am lucky that I do get to 'have it all' in moderation of course.

So there is a brief overview of my 2008 and my life. Hopefully I can keep more resoulutions next year, survive having 3 children with flare, and just be fabulous!!! Ha Ha!

Happy Halloween! (a week late)

2008-11-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

Isabelle found a new baby to play with (she adored this horrific thing!)

We saw skeleton Goofy

We did our Pumpkins

Pink Princess

Scary Skeleton

So here was our Halloween. The kids of course were very excited for it. Collin has been talking for months about be a scary skeleton (it couldn't be a silly one). We eventually found this 'skullzoar' costume and he loved it and decided he was the Head Skeleton (he told the other skeletons what to do). He directed his make-up, weaponry, everything. I am just glad that he felt cool and that he measured up in school and that no one else had the 'Head Skeleton' costume.

Isabelle wanted to a pink princess. That was easy enough to take care of. I did have to ignore her for a day unfortunately to get it done but she was very happy with it and loves to do 'princess arms.' She loved trick-or-treating and walked down the street yelling "trick-or-treat" and "Happy Halloween" and she asked to go into everybody's house that we went to.

My first tag!

2008-10-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

I got tagged for the first time so here goes. Tina tagged me to pick the 4th picture from the 4th folder. It is little Isabelle on her first Easter. I love her in her little pink seersucker.

2008-10-14T09:43:00.001-07:00

Collin's first day of Kindergarten!!! My baby is all grown up and in real school. He loves it of course and feel all grown up and independent. I know this blog is a little out dated but it is still good to document. And I think I get little leeway since an am completely exhausted all the time and my brain is shrinking (it shrinks 8% when you are pregnant).
Both kids with their "backpacks." Isabelle too wants to go to school and sneaks off and runs into Collin's classroom every chance that she gets. Her purses are her backpacks. She just saw this picture and said "There's Isabelle and my backpack purple!"

Collin is 5!!!!!

2008-08-28T14:30:00.001-07:00

Collin and his friend eating their pinata spoils at his first 'friend party.' They are a lot of work! But they are definitely a lot of fun.
Collin and Daddy on the big day. I can't believe I have a 5 year old who is starting kindergarten next week! Collin loves to golf and so we golfed (miniature style) for his birthday. He wanted to go to Island's for dinner and get their quesadillas (my tortillas and cheese just can't compare) and he got his first big Legos set (with little Legos). I can't believe that I have a child big enough for little Legos! It was a great day.
This is a picture of Collin when he was 1. Cute boy!!

Our First Real Earthquake!

2008-07-29T16:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we experienced our first real earthquake today. It was measured at 5.6!!! This was a real southern California quake. I was on a play date at my friend Rachel's house when everything began to shake. I didn't believe it was actually happening at first. Luckily my motherly instincts overtook my shock and I quickly grabbed my kids and ran to a door way. I don't know if that is the best thing to do now that all this controversial information is out there on what to do but...anyway we lived through it just fine and no damage has occurred (only a crooked mirror on the wall). Collin had a lot of questions about the earthquake and although he was clutching my leg during it, he told Daddy later that it was kind of fun. I was pretty scared because I had never really experienced anything like it before (unless you count the studio tour at Universal Studios, which I don't) and my heart was racing for quite a while afterward. Isabelle, my fearless child, wanted to get down and go back to normal play the second the quake stopped. We are all fine and safe and I am not scared anymore but it does make you think about emergency preparedness and how important it is. I have a lot more work to do in that area.

Trip to Utah

2008-07-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Me and the kids took a quick trip to Utah in the end of June. I drove all by myself and although I made it, I am not looking to do it again any time soon. It was fun to see everyone and the kids had a great time with all the cousins! Collin of course uses their names when he talks about them, but Isabelle just calls them 'cousins' and she is always calling them on her phone and saying 'hi cousins.' All 17 grandchildren were together which was wonderful especially because the scattering of the tribes of Collins has really begun. Luckily some of the scattering happened to a closer location to me.

Emmy got married!!! I had a great day and it made the long drive worth it!! She was a beautiful, beautiful bride and the whole day just said "Emmy" in the best possible way. I love that girl and I hope that it's not another 8 years before I see her again. Cam and his family are moving into her ward so there will be more connection and hopefully more contact!
The last night of the trip the kids were soooooo tired. They actually fell asleep in the same bed and I couldn't resist snapping a picture. I guess after 4 days of all party and no naps they could finally lay in the same bed and sleep instead of play. It was a great (but short) trip and the kids still talk about how much fun it was (Isabelle always says Utah with a smile)!

Isabelle is now 2!!!

2008-06-04T09:48:00.001-07:00

Isabelle at 2.
Isabelle at 1.
Isabelle at 5 weeks.
Okay so I totally stole this idea from Lark. She did it for Afton and I loved it. Isabelle just had her 2nd birthday. I can't believe she is already a two year old and yet so much has happened to our family in her lifetime. She is a joy everyday, we all love her terribly and can't imagine our life without our little Isabelle.

My Favorite Things

2008-05-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

Last week Daddy took the day off to go to Disneyland. Collin was so excited to go on the big rides like Space Mountain (which he will not go on for another few years I think). When Daddy comes we buy stuff (Mommy is cheap) and Collin got to make his own light-saber that is even bigger than me. He knew that he had hit the big time and was feeling pretty cool!
A day at the beach with the kiddies!! One of my favorite things (how could it be otherwise?).
Isabelle does not do anything without Kitty. She and Kitty are inseparable. Sometimes she even has to come to church (to avoid disruptive tantrums and we are working on that). She loves her Kitty and loves to show everyone else her Kitty and puts her right in their face and says "Meow, meow, meow..." I sure hope strangers like Kitty because they get to develop a close relationship with her.

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

Today is Mother's Day and the whole house is sick!! It is sad to be sick on the best Sunday of the year and to miss out on all the gifts and singing in church but we are spending the day all together just hanging out. I thought that I would talk a little about my kids (being Mother's Day and all). Right now they are at very fun stages. Collin is playing some recreational soccer through the city and is having a lot of fun. He was very excited about going his first day and insisted on wearing his 'uniform' that his cousin Kyle sent from Brazil and he is now almost big enough to fit in it. The kids all picked their coaches by the color team they were and surprise, surprise, Collin is on the blue team (no other would do). They are just learning the basics right now and Collin is anxious to be playing real soccer (games without his coaches right there) because he already knows how to play soccer he says. Right now he says 'I know' about everything. Isabelle is a very determined little girl. She knows what she wants and won't take 'no' for an answer. She is completely shocked when someone opposes her wishes. We have some work to do there or she will be running the house soon. Already she runs around the house saying "Mama, (where) are you?" and when she finds me she simply says "Come on!" and takes of running, expecting me to follow her and do her bidding. Right now she is obsessed with 'Monsters Inc.' Maybe because she looks like Boo. It is the only thing that she wants to watch. She wakes up and says "Show...Monsters?" It is and extremely well made film and I commend the people at Pixar, but how much can one person really take? I love my children and everything that they are. I have a lot to be grateful for on this day of being a Mom!

Sprinkler Time!!

2008-04-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

When we moved to So Cal I was afraid that I would terribly miss the seasons, and I do, but I do understand why the cost of living here is high. It is for the many afternoons of sprinkler time. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy the weather here and how much I would utilize it. It is nice to be outside an early April afternoon and be able to turn the sprinklers on for some easy and fun entertainment (for everybody). The kids were having so much fun together that I had to get my camera. It is candid pictures like this that remind me how blessed I am. Not to say that sprinkler time doesn't occur everywhere but I was glad that I was able to have this one.

Easter 2008

2008-04-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

Okay so Easter was a while ago but I still had to put a picture of the kids up. I decided to make the kids Easter Sunday clothes this year. I have very fond memories of my mom always making me an Easter dress. I remember picking out the fabric and the pattern with her. She is an excellent seamstress so my dresses always looked like they came from a boutique. I have always been determined to do that for my kids, but, having a boy I wasn't about to make him a dress. Now I have my Isabelle but I felt bad leaving Collin out (no one can ever be left out or I am excessively anxious) so I decided to knit him a sweater vest! As light blue (not dark blue) is his favorite color there was only one option for its design. I underestimated (of course) the time that my project would take and doubted myself (as this is the first garment I have ever knitted). With a few stitches of love and character (mistakes) I completed it the Friday before Easter. I was extremely proud of myself of course but I could not bask in my glory for long as my daughter was now in danger of being left out of the Easter memory in the making. Needless to say that was not going to happen on my watch and I finished the dress late Saturday evening. I had to have the kids match and I made Isabelle one of the 'girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes' (reference to The Sound of Music). I was very happy that I had finally finished a project on time and created fond memories, for myself at least!

Why am I posting?

2008-03-07T16:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I don't know why I am posting. I haven't invited anyone to my blog at this point and I only have had 2 posts in 6 months! I really admire all of my friend's blogs. I love that they have such a great record of their family's life. I say to myself, I have a great family too and should document it more than I do. I am not very computer savvy but that is just an excuse. I really love living here in Huntington Beach. It just feels right for my family. Collin loves that he has a personal relationship with Disneyland and I love that I can take my kids there for a few hours and at least feel like a good mom even though I am so exhausted the rest of the day and they watch movies, at least I took then to "the big D" right? Isabelle has finally learned the word 'yes' which a great change from 'no, no, no.' The variety is quite pleasant and she is generally a very happy girl, it is nice that her words match her personality now.

23 October, 2007

2007-10-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

Well, It is hot and smoky and dry here in Southern California. Luckily for us, the fires aren't close enough for us to be in danger. Collin is of course very curious about all of the happenings. He wants to know why it smells and where the fires are and if we can go drive and see them. He was watching the news and called me in to see what was happening. He was pretty excited to see a big fire on the television. Hopefully the winds will die down and the fires will be under control soon. Aside from the safety issues, I am not enjoying smelling like a campfire without the fun of actually camping.

My First Post!

2007-10-19T21:53:00.001-07:00

Hi I'm Merci, welcome to my blog! I have a wonderful husband, Mike and two beautiful children, Collin(4) and Isabelle(1). We are loving our life in Huntington Beach, California, and hope to have many happy years here. Thanks for visiting!