Paisley's Baptism

Ryan and I just got back from the weekend at Paisley's baptism.  It was a wonderful time with family and getting to support her and her good choices.  We had yummy Thanksgiving dinner (three times!  love those yams!), a trip to Walmart where Misty and I had a good laugh over matching jammies that would have had all three girls fitting in one pair,  and some great rounds of "Murder in the Dark" (And it was very dark and Dave was the best serial killer!! and Hunter wouldn't stay dead!). 

Smelly Cat

Watch this. Watch and you life will be forever changed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIPSwnHMmNE

*Yawn*

Seth again. I'm tired and want to read. Good night.
*Yawn*

Ryan- Smelly Cat

Okay, so I wasn't planning on blogging right now, but something hilarious just happened. We were all sitting around the kitchen table eating sherbet and Daddy asks Seth "Do you need to take a shower? Are you smelly?" Suddenly, Mommy and Daddy in unison start to sing "Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you? Smelly cat, smelly cat, its not your fault. Smelly smelly smelly really bad smelly smelly. Its not your fault." This is me and Seth          O       O
                                                                                         I
                                                                                    ---------
They then told us it was from Friends, explained the story, and we looked it up on Youtube.
               Just a normal moment in the Merrill family.

So this is daily

Hey it's Seth. Again. So I'm going to try and make this daily, and this is going to be my second post ever. Omg. Today I preordered Black Ops III, so i could get some preorder perks. Also I am seeing Goosebumps tonight, at the theaters. Where else would i see it. In the last post I talked about the paper guns im making, I'm following the instructions of this guy on youtube named CrazyPT. You can look him up if you want and he makes really cool stuff. This has been a really short and random post, basically so i could say I do this daily.
This has been Seth Merrill stay classy Palm Harbor.

Ryan- All About ME

EERR MER GEERRRSH!!!! My brother is a big fat liar. If you have already read Seth's post, then you heard him say that he has a lot of homework. I'm 2 years younger than him and I have way more homework than him. Well, anyways, I should probably introduce myself. My name in Ryan Merrill and I am 11 years old. I love anything girly and especially anything that's pink. I'm in 6th grade at PHMS (Palm Harbor Middle School) and I really like all of my teachers. My favorite core subject is math, but I also love my elective, chorus. I really like to sing and Seth gets mad at me whenever I randomly burst into song around the house(which happens quite often). I'm a cheerleader for my school. I also do gymnastics and I'm working on my round- off backhandspring as well as my airiel (cartwheel with no hands). This year I'm part of the ensemble for the musical, The Lion King. Well, that about sums it up. I'm going to try to post fairly often and keep this blog updated. Adios!
                                                   -Ryan <3>

The beginning of the beginning.

Hey it's Seth. Woah. So i guess i'm a blogger now, i'll start with stuff about me. I'm Seth (you probably already knew), a 13 year old, I live in Florida and like playing video games. Personally I am very excited for Black Ops III, it comes out on the 6th of November. Also, I am raising money by washing cars (I'll give you a flyer if you want) for a PS4 to play said Black Ops. I am in 8th grade at Palm Harbor Middle School, and I love, most, of my teachers. I enjoy making anything with my hands and recently I have started on an arsenal of paper guns, for use in various situations. I am a soccer player, and play defense. As for the rest of sports, i do not care for them. I do not watch them, and I only know like 8 football teams off the top of my head (I know even less baseball teams). School has been very hectic until recently, I've had one project or another so I consistently had homework every night. Which is very very unusual. Very unusual. I can't think of anything else to talk about, so this is the end of the beginning, of my blogging career.
This has been Seth Merrill, stay classy Palm Harbor.

Waiting for orders

We are waiting to see if we get orders to move this summer.  We are hoping to get back to an airstation soon.  Adam MISSES flying and I miss the lifestyle of an airstation... eating with the crew, hearing Adam overhead, seeing the helicopters (that's more for the kids, they never got tired of sitting in them).  Although I really do like it here in Virginia Beach, we like it everywhere we've been.  Adam likes his job but not as much as flying.  And although I love where we are, it's always fun for something new. Once we get to this point, I always get super excited about finding out where we're going.  I love looking for new houses and thinking of all the cool things we're going to do to it and in our new city.  This time I am especially wanting to hear soon because Seth's gifted middle school applications are due on February 1 and they are a pain to do, so if we are moving, I don't want to do them.  I know what's going to happen, I am going to have to turn them in on the first and on the second the detailer is going to give us our orders to move somewhere else!  I'll live, but I don't want to do them.  I REALLY, REALLY want to hear soon!

At Dad's house...

At Dad's house, cuddling on the couch watching Jack Hanna's Animal Adventure... Why have we never watched this before? 
We are spending the weekend here with Dad and Sandy.  Went to Friendly's last night for dinner... the place where Pierce works, with the cool ice cream and crazy plates (Seth and Ryan's description).  We're going to do some shooting today with Seth's new .22 rifle from Christmas! 

DC Trip

While Adam was in DC for a two week class, we took advantage of a free hotel at the Embassy Suites with him to take a week vacation.  It started with getting my stitches out (I'll do that one later), then on to Luz's where we talked very late into the night and Seth and Ryan enjoyed their awesome theater room.  Then off to Misty's where we spent two days swimming and played a mean game of Monopoly where I killed everyone.  (Lacee was soooo glad she had Mom in Vegas so she didn't have to play with us!)  I left the kids and met up with Adam and Luz and Rich for dinner at Ruth's Chris!!! Yum!  We talked and laughed a bunch more!

Ok, so these are not the best pics of Adam and I, but I may never blog another one with our great friends, so I'm using these anyway.

Then, I met with Misty and Daddy at the mall to get the kids.  Instead of going to DC, the kids and I decided to hang out at the mall and had a great time.  We don't ever go to the mall and I forgot how fun it is.  Seth found an awesome game store where you can paint your own game warrior pieces and then play a game with them (kinda like RISK).  Yeah, it's a dorky fantasy place... I fit in perfectly!  Then we tried to find the massage chairs in JC Penney.  We were not as successful as Lacee and I were that night long ago where we spent our kid-free evening sitting in massage chairs in Penney's. Thanks Mom for taking the kids!  And, of course, we found some ADORABLE clothes for Ryan... on sale, of course (again!)  Naartjie is the place.  If you haven't been there yet, be careful, it is too cute! 

After our awesome day at the mall, we went to dinner with Andrew.  Well, he took us to dinner as it turns out.  What a great little brother living in awesome dowtown DC in an awesome row house with an AWESOME rooftop patio!

(insert funny pic here)

We loved eating lots of delicious FREE breakfast at the hotel.  One night we had to run down barefoot to get the squishy ball that Seth accidently tossed over the fourth floor railing to the dining area below.  We laughed really hard running down the halls that time... Adam just shook his head at us.

Dad came up with Sandy and took Adam and I to Memphis at the Kennedy Center.  What a great play!  I was really moved by his courage to stand up for what was right and the courage and patience of those to live bravely despite persecution and prejudice.  I actually bought the soundtrack and now teh kids know the whole story as we listen to it.  (Just like Mom sharing Les Mis with us.)  We also went to the Air and Space Museum near Dulles.  Big planes and spaceships.  Gross looking astronaut food and a "fecal disposal unit" (space diaper) that probably cost thousands to create and which they now just where adult diapers.  Wish they had figured that one out earlier.  As I pointed out this huge canvas/wood skeleton plane that was cool looking, Seth added "It's probably DaVinci's".   Dad was laughing at Seth's random factoids that he kept throwing out.

Sunday after church we had a great time at the visitor's center at the temple and then with Christine and Marriner.  So grateful that we are close now!  I really love them!

We spent Monday with Ryan's best friend, Sarah's, family.  I love being with Chris (the mom).  I will be sad they are moving to Pennsylvania and won't be there for us to crash with anymore.

That evening we met Misty, Dave and the kids at a baseball game where we ate hot dogs, lots of junk food and all the kids got a game ball (with a little help from Dave and the nice helper men). They got them signed by Uncle Slam and one of the players that was nice enough to come out after they got slaughtered in the 7th inning.

 Tuesday, after taking Daddy to McDonalds for breakfast, we packed it back up for the hotel and Adam and I went to the temple together.  Loved it!

Wednesday, after poor Adam had to leave for class, we slept in, again, then went to DC.  We went to the Natural History Museum and the sculpture garden.  We finally got to see the Goliath Bird-Eating Spider when it was hiding--- AHHHH, HUGE!  I held the hissing cockroach... ewwchch, what was I thinking?  The kids liked the giant anaconda (it had a name?).  And we each took a pic of our favorite pic.  The displays of different photographers was incredible.  We loved them all!

After

OK, let's finish this off.  Adam just went up to bed.  We left DC and made it safely back to Virginia Beach.  It was wonderful spending so much time together, seeing cool places and people.  We are so blessed that Adam is willing to work hard so I can be with the kids, that he has a job, that we have wonderful friends and family that let us visit, that we have a car that can take us places, that there are such wonderful things to see, that we like being together..  I could go on and on.  We are truly grateful for ALL that we have been blessed with!

"Mom's Night In"

The day before our power outage was Friday.  Adam was coming home on Saturday after two weeks in DC.  That means 2 1/2 weeks since he mowed the lawn.  So we took friends home at 7pm and went to Menchie's (ice cream) with the kids Principal's list coupons, then hurried home to get the lawn mowed.  It was way too hot to do it during the day and way to hot to do it at night, but we wanted to surprise Adam so he didn't have to do it when he got home (instead, he had to change the brakes:)  Together, we got it done!  I was dripping wet... Oooooh!  The kids knew I was so hot and gross that while I took a quick cool shower they told me they were getting a bath ready for me.  So I got out of the shower into the bath all set with bath salts and music playing.  Ryan gave me a manicure and Seth gave me a foot massage.  They were so excited to give me a "Mom's Day In" because I was so hot from mowing.  Ryan said it really should be a "Mom's hour In".  They were out there the whole time with me, but they were still so cute to team up to do such a nice thing.  They decided that since Daddy had also worked so hard for two weeks that they would do one for Daddy.  I mentioned he doesn't really like baths, so Ryan decided he could have an orbies pedicure.  He now has red, white and blue toes.  Again, I am just grateful for families.  What joy they bring into our lives!

The power's out

Last night, the power went out unexpectedly at about 8pm.  The kids and I carefully went through the dark house to start lighting candles and by the time we were done, there were 18 (Seth counted).  It was beautiful!   After we read scriptures by candlelight, Seth suggested we do this again.  "Can't we do this by ourselves by flipping the breaker?"  I answered, "We could just turn off all the lights?"  "But then the little lights on the TV and stove will still be on.  I like this.  Then we can't have on the TV or computers and we can light all the candles again."  So I think we will be having voluntary "power outages" from now on.  Luckily, I can figure out a way not to turn off the AC.  After scriptures, we said prayers and walked up with candles in hand and put one in each of the kids rooms.  It was one more of those quiet fun happy family moments that Seth and Ryan make so plentiful for us!

Poor Adam finished changing the oil and brakes in the dark with just a headlamp.  Lucky for us, we have such an awesome Dad in our house.

My sister and parents have been without power for three days now and the heat is KILLER!  I never thought about the second coming without AC.  I mean I can prepare for food storage, but no air conditioning?  I am FOR SURE not living on the East Coast now-- no way, this heat and humidity!

Master bath remodel in progress

Old bathroom- dusty rose raspberry faux painting everywhere, pink accent tile, pink floor... bleh!

Now- white vanities, no more giant mirror, blue paint...

... last of the pink paint...

...new mirrors...

...and really?!? I walked past the mirror in the kids room and saw this!  I don't even know when I did it!  My walls looks great, but when painting, I am a disaster- my clothes, my hands, my hair!

Ryan's dance audition

Ryan auditioned at ODC today for the gifted dance program.  She was a little nervous this morning.  She had to go on the early bus to the far school, but luckily she went with her big brother (who was going to the art program).  I said a few prayers throughout the day for her to do her best and have a great time.  It is hard, great, emotional... as the kids grow up and try new things, especially when I have to let them go alone.  I know the Lord will always take care of them.  Well, she came home super excited.  I don't know if that means she'll make it, but she had fun.

52 card pick-up

Do you know anyone who has ever played 52 card pick-up more than once?  I do... my kids!  I asked them if they wanted to play 52 card pick-up and with Adam smirking in the background, I threw the cards in the air.  I expected to hear the exasperated "Mo-om" instead the two laughingly hopped around the ground gathering up the cards and handing them to me said "Can we do it again?"  So for the next half hour, Seth and Ryan took turns throwing the deck in the air and picking them up, yelling "CARD!" every time they missed one and leaping after it.  They weren't even counting them to see who won!