The Duck Says Quack

For those of you who read my sister's blog, you already know that I am way behind the times and that Merrick and I went with Emily and Kai last week to feed the ducks at a park near our house.

This was the first time feeding the ducks for both boys and the experience was definitely a mix of good and bad. It was hot so we had to go early in the morning (hence me looking so attractive in the pictures). We also had to compete for the ducks with a crazy lady who was yelling that we were poisoning her "babies". The boys did seem to have a good time however. Kai liked throwing the bread out to the ducks. Merrick enjoyed watching the ducks, but preferred to try and eat the bread rather than throw it.

All in all we had a fun time. I think we will go back when the weather cools down a bit and hopefully we will have some better experiences.

Picasso

Okay so I know that every parent thinks their child is a genius and can do no wrong, but it is really true in our case. In addition to being a genius it turns out Merrick is also a little Picasso.

Earlier this week I gave him a piece of paper and crayons and let him color his first picture. I guess I should have done this long ago because he is a real natural. I can see a fridge full of artwork in our near picture.

On another note, It really looks like Merrick might be a south paw. He has started to favor his left hand and colored this entire picture with his left hand.

A Man Obsessed

For those of you who don't have the pleasure of spending much time with Merrick, you probably don't know how much he LOVES food. He loves pretty much anything and everything and a lot of it. He is particularly crazy about anything with sugar.

A few weeks ago, while the blog was down, Jeremy opened a giant cherry sucker and it was not long before Merrick had taken possession of it. Had we not taken it away, I think he would have finished every last lick. Despite the fact that these pictures are a few weeks old, they are so cute that I could not help but post them.

Birthday Boy

I cannot believe that this past weekend my baby turned one. They say time flies when you are having fun. This must be true because this year went by in a blink of an eye. We had a party on Saturday to celebrate Merrick's big day and were lucky to have lots of family and friends there to help us celebrate.

Merrick on his big day



Merrick certainly is a very lucky boy and had lots of presents to open. He enjoyed opening the gifts for awhile, but became overwhelmed by all there was to see. Luckily the other children at the party were more than happy to help open and explore his new toys.






My labor of love for the party were the cakes. I spent hours baking and decorating all nine cakes.



It did not take Merrick nearly as long to devour his cake. At first he was not sure what to do, but once he got a taste he was off and running.








It was a great party, a great day, and a great year with my favorite little man in the whole world. Jeremy and I thank Heavenly Father every day for blessing our lives with Merrick. We are so grateful for every day of the last year.

Testing...Testing...123

Looks like we are up and running again...check back within the next few days for first birthday pictures.

Technical Difficulties

If you are wondering why it has been so long since I have posted, I promise I am not just being a slacker. I seem to be experiencing technical difficulties that are not allowing me to post pictures and really what fun is a blog without cute pictures to go with it? Merrick's first birthday was yesterday and I have lots of pictures from his party on Saturday so hopefully we will be up and running again soon.