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!

1976 Corvette For Sale
It's finally come to it.
Time to part with the classic that Ben never thought he would ever sell.
The car we took on our first date.
The car that we peeled out in as we drove away on our wedding night.
The car Ben thought he would work on with a teenage Bronson.

Now it's looking for its next good home.
Ben is asking $6000 for now but he would probably take $5000.
It's an amazing deal for a cool piece of history.

Here's the text from the Craigslist ad:
1976 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Modified L82. New 350 5.7L Engine w/ Comp. Cams Camshaft, 94,000 miles on car, 2,000 on engine, 4spd Manual Trans, Edelbrock Performer Intake Manifold and Carburetor, K&N Air Cleaner, Flowmaster True Dual Exhaust, White exterior, dark green interior. Removable T-tops with a second mirrored glass set. Mechanically sound, runs great. No rust or major damage. Rear bumper cracked, paint a little faded. Have original heads, intake manifold, carburetor, air cleaner, other misc. parts.
We're sorry to see this car go, but it's time for it to move on.
If you know anybody that might be interested, please let them know. Thanks.

Flowers
This year Ben (kinda) landscaped the backyard and we grew all sorts of stuff, including flowers for cutting. I got this new jar/vase which I really like and we have had practically nonstop fresh flowers in the house for months (not really great for pollen allergies). We only got pictures of two of the arrangements he did, but they turn out really pretty and we're enjoying it while it lasts.

Everything we've grown has been from seed, and it has been quite the challenge and a test of patience.
In case you care, here's a list of some of the best cutting flowers we actually got to grow:

Sunflowers (really easy from seed, we did about 80)
Dahlias (from tuber, not seed, but also easy)
Gomphrena (special cutting varieties)
Black-eyed Susans
Feverfew
Yarrow
Celosia
Gladiolas (from bulbs)
Blue Flax
Zinnias (everyone should grow zinnias)
And some others that didn't do so well, we'll have to try again next year.

This summer's been so nice, I'm not ready for fall to come yet.
...Which has practically already arrived in Northern Arizona...
Winter's supposed to be bad this year.
Oh well, bring it on!!

A New Look...

Jolie got glasses!

Isn't that just so cute?

She picked them out herself.

Now she can clearly see the board at school, which is helpful.

She's also in the "I can't show my teeth in a picture" phase.

We just have to make sure she keeps those glasses on all the time.

Welcome to the club, Jolie Bear!

San Diego - Mission Beach

Ben had a few days off work at the beginning of August and it just so happened that my mom and my sister-in-law Brianna were up for a little getaway so we threw together a very last-minute trip to the beach. Talk about spontaneous!

We brought our little family and Bri brought her family, minus Ruby (her youngest) and Golden, who had to stay back to work. (I guess somebody has to!)
We rented just about the only available condo anywhere near Mission Beach. When we were making calls trying to find a place with only 2 days notice, one guy actually laughed at me!

But, we made it, and man we had a good time! Too bad it was only for 3 nights... Bronson asked why we can't just live there. Who can blame him?

These cousins got to spend some much-needed time together...

...finding shells...


...and making sandy messes.





Ben had to get a couple of night shots.


And Grandma Merrill got caught sucking down way too many Diet Cokes...

We spent some time at Mission Beach park.



Ava and Emma got really into their sandcastle-making skills.


We had some issues with the sand.
Faye must have thought it was sugar...


You can tell Asher has older siblings.
He just laid there while they practically buried him alive.

Seaport Village
If you ever go to San Diego, you have to visit Seaport Village. It's a really cute shopping "village" right in the port, and it has some of the coolest little shops ever. There's a shop with all wood toys, which of course was right up Bronson's alley.

Did you really think we could pass up Ben & Jerry's?

Boy, those are some tired faces!

We had a great trip and we're already looking forward to next time... Thanks Mom and Bri for making this happen... We should keep up the tradition!