Hope's 1st Hair Trim

The day before we left for NY we trimmed Hope's bangs for the first time! Ryan was devastated at just the thought of bringing a pair of scissors close to Hopes's "beautiful locks." But after much convincing, he let us just trim her bangs so we could see her beautiful blue eyes. My mom did it and Hope did so well! BTW, you will be seeing lots of new posts soon......I am just waiting for some more time to put them together.

The finished product!!!


She was so good throughout the trim (sorry I couldn't figure out how to rotate it)


My mom's steady hand getting started

Christmas #2

Today we had Christmas #2 at my mom's. We had the greatest day. My mom of course spoiled us and our children rotten. She loves Christmas and so she ALWAYS out does herself. She cooked a wonderful meal for us. We at honeybaked ham, tamales, red chili, posole, mudbars, biscochitos, and of course mac n cheese for Isaiah. Every year we have a family tradition of making Tamales together. We did it last weekend and then every year my brother helps my Meme make biscochitos. I love our family tradidions. It was so fun to watch my nephew Alex open up his first present on his First Christmas. Isaiah had a blast with all the toys my mom bought him and then he had a blast opening up Hope's toys too! She was more interested in seeing what was already open than opening her own presents. She and Alex had a ton of fun with all the ribbon too! So Tuesday we are headed to NY for Christmas with my Dad and his family. We haven't been in 5yrs so it will be nice but we will definetly miss being with Mom Christmas morning. Thanks for a GREAT day mom and for spoiling us rotten. We WILL MISS YOU!!!

Hope is in love with this little chair my Mom bought her, so cute, she was so excited


My silly Ma with her reindeer ears & Christmas lightbulb earings cuddling with Isaiah


Alex's first Christmas, he was pretty good at tearing that wrapping paper


My Meme (87yrs old) and Grandpa(86yrs old). They love to watch the kiddos open their presents and they too spoiled ALL of us rotten!


Isaiah opening Hope's presents...she really didn't care (wait till next year)


Ryan got a Bengals Beenie for Christmas and of course he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to make another Bengals fan...She does look adorable!

Christmas #1

Today we had Christmas at Ryan's parents house. We had a blast! First Aunt Cassie and Uncle Ted helped Isaiah make Rice Crispy houses and candy canes. I tried to throw my artistic abilities into the mix....not good at all. Lets just say
"it really was suppose to be a snowman." The whole experience ended with Aunt Cassie's hands covered in cooking spray, my horrible supppose-to-be-snowman, and lots of bystander laughing! But Isaiah had a blast and built two very nice and edible rice crispy houses. Then we ate. Ryan's mom cooked a beautiful dinner for us. We ate ham, potatoes, salad, and rolls. And for desert we had rice crispy treat houses, candy canes, and suppose-to-be-snowmen. Oh and not to mention the delicious toffee and peanut brittle, and peanut butter bars that Nana made. We are so deprived ya know??!!! We watched the kids open up their presents and Isaiah was stoked because he got dinosaurs, puzzles, a potatoe gun, a marshmellow gun, and tons of cars. Uncle Kenny(Ryan's older bro), Aunt Julie, and Jackson couldn't be there, but they sent some wonderful presents. After presents, Uncle Ted and Ryan took Isaiah outside to shoot his potatoe gun and marshmellow gun.....Thanks Ted and Cassie! Isaiah loved it, he couldn't stop talking about how far the potatoe went. However, I still think Uncle Ted had WAYYYYY more fun with it than Isaiah did. Uncle Ted even shot marshmellow at the wall inside the house....bring back memories of childhood with the Merkel Boys! Then we watched Kung Fu Panda and played games. Yes, the women ROCK at scattegories and Catch Phrase. Well we should give the boys Pictionary, but I still think they cheated!!!!! J/K It was the best first Chritmas of the season. Two more to go! Yes that's right we celebrate Christmas with EVERY family!!!!

Aunt Cassie, Uncle Ted, and Isaiah getting ready for the rice crispy treat making


The "suppose-to-be-snowman"....I tried people, I tried!


Isaiah Decorating the Rice Crispy House with LOTS and LOTS of candy


Hope had more fun with the Christmas beads than she did opening her presents


Look at all those presents....Nana & Papa spoiled him rotten! They kinda love him!


Uncle Ted & Aunt Cassie loading the Marshmellow gun, We are thinking of getting Uncle Ted one for his Birthday(look at his smile)!!!!


Isaiah loved shooting the potatoe gun


Uncle Ted teaching Isaiah how to control the remote control car Uncle Kenny sent him....again thinking about getting Uncle Ted one for his birthday!

Putting up the Christmas Tree

After a wonderful Thanksgiving and a full day of shopping on Black Friday (but all my Christmas shopping was completed in one day), we put up our Christmas tree on Saturday. Isaiah had so much fun! We are going to NYC for Christmas and my brother asked me "Are you seriously going to put up a tree and lights even though we won't be here?" My response was "Of course, When Alex (my nephew) grows up and he gets so excited you'll understand." All you mom's out there can understand! Besides I love Christmas and I get to enjoy the tree and all the lights and decor the whole month while we are here! Well it was great watching Isaiah put up those ornaments. His hands flapping with excitement and constantly saying "look mom, look it's all lit up!" It was worth it just to see his face. I love Christmas, even more as the years go on and Isaiah gets more and more excited! Here are a few pics (I was a little too distracted with all the excitement to get more)

Bengals fans

So as most of you know, my husband is like the Biggest Bengals Fan ever! So when we were actually able to watch a televised game on Thursday night, my husband was in heaven! He dressed Isaiah up in Bengals gear! All Isaiah kept saying was "Daddy those steelers keep knocking down the Bengals!" I thought it was hilarious...Ryan not so much!

Waitin for the game to start


Don't mess with me, I'm a Bengals fan


Isaiah decided to try his picture taking skills, so I just found some of his latest work!

Birthday Weekend

It was an eventful weekend filled with lots of birhtday celebrations. My mother-in-law and my stepmom both have the same birthday (Nov. 14) just a few years apart. So on Friday I cooked my mother-in-laws favorite dinner and Isaiah and I baked a "carnival" (marble) cake and we took it to their house. We had a great dinner and watched Kung Fu Panda on their new blue-ray player. I must say it was amazing! Of course, I forgot the camera so we didn't get to capture any of the fun memories. Isaiah loved baking the cake and then "helping" nana blow out the candles. We were all so busy talking that we will definetly have to watch Kung Fu Panda again...but it was a little freaky that a Kung Fu snake beat up a Kung Fu Panda! I of course got on my mother-in-law's good side by telling her "Well you may not be 50, but you are living your 50th year!" Just an FYI...Mother-in-laws really don't want to hear how old they are. However I think making the dinner made up for it! Next time I will have to bring the camera.
Then on Sunday we went to my Dad's house to celebrate my stepmom's bday and my dad's bday(Nov. 19th)! We had a delicious meal cooked by Cindy (my stepmom), enjoyed some homemade salsa by muah, some pomegrant jelly made by Craig & Beth, and black bottom pie a la Cindy, and of course some Costco Apple pie (I'm not into the pie makin thing yet, I barely know how to cook dinner)! It was a fun-filled evening with lots of awesome company! It was pretty funny watching Mark get the dog's tennis ball out of the tree with the end of the broom and listening to Hope's Shrilly screams everytime she saw the dogs! But I did remember the camera, so here are a few pics.

My brother, Mark and nepehew, Alex


Cindy sporting the new hat, gloves, and scarf we bought her.....we decided it was better for everyone if she didn't wear the hat!!!


Birthday woman waitin for her turn to open the presents


Dad sportin the Scarf and Hat we gave him


Dad opening his presents


So in conclusion, I think November is an awesome month because there are some pretty amazing people born in November. And we love all of them so much and are so very grateful and Thankful for everything the continually do for us. They are a blessing to everyone they encounter!

Happy Halloween!!!!

We had a GREAT halloween! We dressed up Hope as Minnie Mouse and Isaiah as a red Power Ranger. They looked adorable. We started off the day getting the kids dressed up (including Alex, my nephew, as Shrek). Then we headed to the doctors office, where they were just in love with all the kiddos costumes. We then went to my mom's work, cause she likes to show off her grandkids. The girls at her office were especially in love with Shrek! We then came home to take a little hour break before we were off again to the Fall Festival at the church. It was awesome and when Ryan went to pay for Isaiah's wristband the lady told him,"the last person in line left $5 for the next person and you are the next person, you've been blessed!" That made the night...God is so Awesome! They had like a million jumpers for the kids to go in and they gave each kid a bag of candy...not Alex, too little, or Hope, allergic to the world! They had games to play and Isaiah got so many prizes. He had a blast! It was so awesome to see everyone's costumes...even the adults dressed up...I went as MOM, Ryan went as DAD. Funny we wake up in our costumes every morning!!! We then went to my mom's to pass out candy and trick-or-treat a little. This is Isaiah's first trick-or-treating experience and it went VERY VERY VERY well. So Well that he would like to go trick-or-treating everyday. At his first house he was afraid to ring the doorbell, then when they answered his arms went flappin and he very excitedly said "trick ooooo treat". It was the best! We couldn't take him all around the neighborhood because they had this very grusome car crash scene set up and a mannicane hanging from the light post!!!! I later went with my brother to check it out. It was very hauntily halloweeny, but one disturbing thing....they had a pumpkin eating a BABY!!! What in the world, HELLO, that is NOT OK! But at the end of the night I got to snuggle with my kiddos and I asked Isaiah "what was your favorite part?" He said, "the jumpy things mom, we should get one!" Can't wait to see what next year will be like!


This jumper was huge. Isaiah lost his boot while climbing to the top and he was in tears at the bottom..."but DAD I NEED MY BOOT." We had a very kind man who went up the jumper with his son and found Isaiah's boot and brought it down! Thank goodness, we could not have survived without it!


This was Isaiah and Ryan waiting in line for the Noah's ark Jumper!


Isaiah hit it right on the Bullseye


I think the golf club was a little big for him....or maybe his 'muscles' were in the way!


"Yea, look at me I'm flyin high"


He loved the jumpers. I think he went in at least 10 of them!


My nephew, Alex, dressed as Shrek


The RED Power Ranger!!!! Look at those muscles


Minnie Mouse....look at that little smile, So cute!

Family Pictures

We took family pictures today! It was a little difficult because Hope was not the best smiler and my back was killing me (I have two bulging disks), but they turned out really good. Here is a little recap:


My BROTHER, NICOLE, & ALEX


THE THREE GRANDKIDS


Isaiah


Hope


THE WHOLE FAMILY


MY MOM AND MEME


MEME AND GRANDPA


ISAIAH


HOPE


OUR FAMILY


THE FOUR GENERATIONS

Isaiah's Birthday Party

We had an absolutely beautiful party for Isaiah on Sunday. Nana graciously offered up her home for us to have the party. She made a wonderful spread of food. We had BBQ Briskit sandwiches and some awesome potatoe soup. It was a beautiful day so we got to enjoy their backyard which backs up right next to the foothills of the mountains. The whole family was able to make it and also Grandma and Grandpa Merkel from Nebraska were here visiting. It was just a wonderful day filled with great food, family, and a very excited Isaiah. Here are a few pictures to help capture the day!


So excited about his presents....He is spoiled rotten!


More presents!!!


Poppy and Alex....My Dad really hates being a Poppy, can you tell?


Four Generations...Grandpa Merkel, Papa Merkel, Ryan, and Isaiah


Grandma Merkel sharing a special walk with Hope, Hope doesn't just walk with anybody...she really must like Grandma Merkel


Hope and Alex....Who do you think would win in a fight?


Time to blow out the candles


"I am so excited!" His bird flappin wings came out quite a bit that day!!!