Thanksgiving

OK, so I'm a little behind.
Here it is Christmas Eve and I'm finally posting about Thanksgiving. (sigh)

It was the Merrill's turn for Thanksgiving this year, and we threw the party at our house.

It was a weekend full of art projects and puzzles.

Not to mention the food of course!

Ben dug a pit in the backyard and cooked the turkey deep-pit style.
It takes 12 hours!

The turkey was so moist and tender, it just fell apart.
It gave Grandpa Merrill quite a carving challenge!

Ava apparently couldn't wait for the feast to begin.

Good times were had by all. The cousins especially had fun together.

And then of course, the Christmas decorations come out immediately afterward.
Jolie's favorite!

Can't wait till Christmas!

Falltime

Yes, I know. Fall is over. Winter is in full force.

But just before all the leaves fell, we thought it would be great to get a few pictures of the kids. As it turned out, the only decent pictures we could get were of Jolie and Bronson. Faye has something against getting her picture taken lately that we really must remedy. So I put in a shot of her when we were in Greer earlier this year.




What can I say... we've got some cute kids!

Disneyland 2010 - Amberly's Birthday Party


I hit one of those milestones in my life.
To celebrate my parents surprised us with a trip to Disneyland!

My sweet and loving grandma with her great-grand kids.

The birthday party celebration was a blast.


The kids got to see all of their favorite Disney characters.



The jungle cruise was Bronson's favorite ride.

My dad was a such a good sport. He loved riding with the kids no matter what they wanted to do.

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Trick or Treat Party


My birthday couldn't have been any happier than at the Happiest Place on Earth!
Thank you so much Mom & Dad!
Until next time!

Jolie's Elementary School Program

For Veteran's Day, Jolie's school puts on a big music program.
The 2nd grade sang "This Land is Your Land" and there were three kids chosen to sing a verse by themselves.
That's right. Jolie was one of them.


She's been driving us crazy singing the song constantly for weeks preparing for this. I think my brain has some kind of permanent damage.
Can't.... get it.... out.... of my head....
Not only did Jolie step up to the challenge, she LOVED it. Being on stage is her thing. (Hmm, must take after her dad...)

Jolie and her BFF Ashley after the show.

Here's the video. Check out how she gets all Emo with the microphone.



Good job, Jolie Bear!

4 Years Old!
4 of my favorite things about Bronson:

1. He's the family's comic relief without even trying
2. He's mastered the art of batting eyelashes to get his way
3. He finds excitement in the smallest things
4. He's just so dang kissable!


Happy Birthday B-Man!
We love you!!

Labor Day Weekend in Greer, AZ
Okay, it was an extra LONG weekend, but who's counting days...
Grandpa Merrill rented a great cabin in the woods and invited the whole Merrill crew to come along.


(Notice at the bottom of this sign it says that the population is 181 in winter.)


Grandpa brought the Jeep and took the grandkids for endless rides to and from the "downtown" area. He also found out that you really do need working headlights to drive at night.



Golden and Bri brought supplies for making marshmallow blow guns...



It was an all-out marshmallow war.
Daily.
Take no prisoners!!




We happened to be there at the best wildflower season...




We gave fly-fishing a shot.


Golden made it look easy...
And Grandpa caught the most fish.



You couldn't keep the kids off the Jeep. Definitely a hit!


The Tin Star became our hotspot to get... you know... like ice cream and stuff.




On our way home we stopped by the Tonto Natural Bridge. If you haven't gone there, you should. Spectacular!




We loved this trip. A major stress-reliever.
The cousins could just play in the forest and pretend,
And the adults could just hang out and relax. (Well, for the most part)
And the Jeep is a must.
Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!
Let's do this again!