Merrick's 17th Birthday

Yesterday was Merrick's 17th birthday. He's lucky that his birthday often falls during Labor Day weekend and he often gets it off of school. This year was no different. His birthday landed on a Saturday and we took full advantage.

We got up early, packed a picnic and headed to Sandy, Oregon. Our first stop was the famous Joe's Doughnuts. We then headed to a nearby park/campground with access to the Sandy River. 

Merrick had brought his fishing poles and was really hoping to catch something big. It turns out this was not the day for catching anything in the Sandy River. Not only did we not catch anything, but neither did anyone else we talked to (granted it was a fairly small sample size because we only saw a few people the whole time we were out there).

While it wasn't in cards to catch anything, we still enjoyed our time at the river. We relaxed on the bank and waded in the water. C.C. used leaves to make a craft project spelling out Merrick's name. I did some whittling. The girls built a sand castle. We ate our picnic lunch. Mostly we just enjoyed the quiet and our time together.

When we got home, we opened the few small presents we had gotten Merrick. We wanted to give him a bigger gift this year because he ended up getting a little cheated on his sweet 16 present when the basketball shooting machine we ordered got delayed over and over again and we ended up just canceling the order. This year, what he really wanted was a jet ski. We really did consider it, and even measured the garage. Unfortunately, we all came to the conclusion that it just was not in the cards. 

As a second choice, he decided he wanted Jeremy to sit own with him, open a brokerage account for him, and get him started in the stock market. Hopefully, he can grow the money we have given him to get started and it will be a big blessing for him down the road. Either that or he will lose it all. Time will tell.

After the stock lesson, we had dinner and dessert before he headed out for the evening with his friends.

I am so grateful we had this day to celebrate him and that he is not too cool to spend the day with his family. As he turns 17 and starts his junior year, I feel the time slipping away. I am treasuring everyday we have left with him in the house.

Back to School 2026-27

This was a big week in our family. Not only was it the first day of school, but it was also Merrick's 17th birthday. C.C. tells me I usually combine these two post, but this isn't sitting well with me. So today, we are getting 2 blog posts for the price of one.

Tuesday was the first day of school for all the kids. Merrick is starting his Junior year, CC is in 8th grade, and Elsie is in 3rd. So far everyone seems to be liking school as much as you can. Merrick has a really hard schedule this year with 2 AP classes. In addition to that, he is taking an A hour and doing 6am seminary. This year is going to give him a run for his money.

As a whole, I'm optimistic that it's going to be a great year.