Playing Catch Up

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Since my last post was back in July, I thought it was time for a new update. Fall has come and is nearly gone already! We went up the canyon to enjoy some of the pretty leaves before they were all dry and brown. It's been really nice to finally have some cooler weather. That being said, I don't know how ready I am for winter to come. Do y'all realize it's November already and mr. baby is going to grace us with his presence in only 3 short months?! Oh yeah...and I don't know if I posted about that either. We are having a boy! Baby brother is on his way and the girls are getting excited! We're going to name him Gabriel and when we talk about him, we call him Gabe. Jocelyn calls him "Gave", though, and although I've corrected her plenty of times, she is persistent and insistent that it is Gave, not Gabe, and that Gabe would be just a silly thing to call a baby brother. So, as Rob's sister Lindsey pointed out to me, Jocelyn called baby Ava, baby "Aba", and is now calling baby Gabe, "Gave". I'm not sure what went wrong there. Things straightened out for Ava though, so hopefully baby brother will get to be called by his real name some day too.
We are doing great these days. Rob got a really great and unexpected bonus at work, just because he is so awesome. His game, Plasma Cannon (Available exclusively to Palm Pre owners), has done great. He is almost up to 1000 sales and he won a $1000 Palm/HP credit in a contest for how well his game has done! We are really excited for him. Jocelyn is in desperate need of some socialization, and so come January I think we're going to try to put her in a preschool (when the new semester starts--who knew preschool had semesters?!) Ava is a little stinker and its lucky that one year olds are the cutest because that's the only thing that's saving her from a good bum paddling. She has started nursery at church, and because Jocelyn is still in there until January I thought the transition would be easy for her. I spoke too soon apparently because I am in there for the full two hours to avoid a tantrum that the nursery leaders have made it very clear, they do not want to handle. I'm sure she would do fine if she could just cry it out for a few minutes, but they are not up to it and I guess I can't blame them. So, as you can imagine, church is very fulfilling for me. After fighting with the kids for an hour in Sacrament meeting to sit down and convince them that they do not need to go out for yet another drink of water, I get to go play with the little ones in nursery. Woot. But really, it's not so bad. I'm just a little crusty sometimes. ;)
I am doing well, just cooking this baby brother and trying to get enough sleep at night. We're preparing for another home birth and so I've casually started to pick up my Hypnobabies practices here and there, and I am remembering how much I love hypnosis! It is so relaxing and makes me feel so much more positive about everything. I have a great midwife this time who is actually going to let me follow her as a doula to a birth or two in December so I can finish up my certification before the baby is born. I feel really comfortable with her as she is very knowledgeable and confident in the process of birth, and besides that is just a really awesome lady.
I have a bunch more pictures to post about my St. George trip, Halloween, and my new little hat business I'm starting, so stay tuned. Other than that, we're all healthy and happy!

Stupid Perfect Cat

I have blogged about Eddie before. About how Jocelyn will tackle him to the floor and read him stories and dress him up. You'd think he'd mind, but the dumb thing just purrs and purrs, so all I can figure is that he must actually love her back. Well, since those days began, Ava was born and lately she has decided to carry on the tradition.

It actually looks like he might be trying to escape here, but the expression on Ava's face is telling me he doesn't have a chance. "Don't even try, kitty" she thinks.

"Good boy", she says to herself.


Now, I wouldn't want you to think that just because Ava has picked up the habit of squashing the cats to death, that Jocelyn would ever dream of quitting. Here is a "puppy backpack", as Jocelyn calls it. But its actually a leash, disguised as something cute, so we can strap it to her back and she can't run away from us in crowded places. She has strapped it to poor Eddie and is saying, "Come on, Eddie! Lets go for a walk!"
"No, no! Eddie, you're not supposed to lay down! Come on! Get up!"

He gives up and thinks to himself, "This is so humiliating." (purr, purrr, purrrrrr)

Baby #3!

It's true. Baby #3 was in a hurry to get here and decided to surprise us all with a sooner-than-expected pregnancy. Although it surprised us, we have gotten over the shock and are excited for another bouncing bundle around the first part of February! I'm 12 weeks right now, and according to babycenter.com, our little one is about the size of lime, measuring about two inches from crown to rump. I'm getting fat faster than ever (yes I am!) and feeling all sorts of pukey.....so we're thinking this is another good, strong pregnancy in full swing! Fun, fun, fun :)

I don't think we have a preference of gender, Rob says he wouldn't mind having just girls, but it'd be fun to have a boy too. Jocelyn, on the other hand, says that (and I quote:) "boys are lame sauce" and is hoping for another sister. Now, she's not particularly chummy with the sister she's got now, so I don't know if she's just thinking she's going to get another shot at getting the kind of sister she expected or what. Ava is oblivious to my pregnancy, being only a babe herself (okay, 16 months is technically "toddler". But whatever. She's still my baby.) And I, like Rob, will love whatever comes our way.

The amazing thing about the whole situation is that I literally got a one week break from being either nursing or pregnant and that one week just happened to be the week I was in Maui without the kids. Did I say amazing? Because really, if I only get one week, Maui is definitely the way to do it! And when I say one week, I literally mean 7 days (okay, maybe 9). I nursed Ava for the last time on the night before I left on my trip, and two days after I got home I got pregnant. I think Heavenly Father knew that if I HAD to be pregnant again so soon, I needed a break from everything before I started in on the next kiddo. Merciful, merciful. Next time I go to Maui, being neither nursing or pregnant, maybe I should just STAY IN MAUI!!!

Just kidding, lime-sized baby. Just kidding. I definitely want you here.
For reals, though. I do.

My Sweet Jocelyn

Today I experienced both the worst and best feelings a parent can ever feel. We went to McDonald's for lunch and were in the play place, Jocelyn playing on one side of the room, and Ava on the other. We had been there for a while and it was time to go, so I told Jocelyn to get her shoes on because it was time. I walked around the other side of the room to get Ava. When I turned around Jocelyn was gone. At first I thought maybe she was hiding from me because she didn't want to go home yet. I called her name and got no reply. I looked around the corner into the other room where you order your food. No Jocelyn. I kept calling and realized that by now she would have come out to me if she had been hiding. I asked the only other family in the play place if they had seen her leave, and they hadn't. My mind was scrambling and I kept thinking that any second I would find her and that everything would be alright. But with each passing second I started to wonder more and more if something had happened. Had she left without me? Was she out by the car? I ran outside and couldn't see her. I ran back in and called her name some more. I started praying frantically in my mind that she would show up. Had someone taken her? Did she run to the bathroom? The bathroom door was locked, so I knocked on it and called her name, only to find an annoyed McDonald's employee open the door and give me a dirty look. Worry was overcoming me, and with Ava on my hip I lost all consideration for other people and started yelling her name out and looking under tables. I decided I'd better go check the car again. I couldn't see her, but as I circled around the car, I found her on the other side of it, waiting for me all along.

Holy crap.

The feeling that overcame me then was indescribable. I started crying and pulled her toward me. She looked at me funny and wondered what was wrong with her mom. I told her that she scared me and that I thought she was lost. She told me she thought I was lost! After calming down and driving home, I explained to her that if she loses me, she needs to stay where she is and I will find her.
I have always felt for the parents out there who lose their children, but this gave me a completely new perspective. For a split second I was sure I had lost my sweet Jocelyn, and my life went with her. What a blessing it is to be home now, safe and sound with my two beautiful daughters.

Now I think I'll just go lock the deadbolts and never leave the house again.

Maui-Part 4

Old Lahaina Luau! This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Delicious food and fun entertainment! We all wore our pretty dresses and enjoyed a wonderful evening right off the ocean.
Before the show started we walked around the luau grounds where little craftsmen had their handmade things for sale.

This is our server, Tim, who accidentally gave my older sister an alcoholic beverage. She noticed within the first sip and quickly corrected the error, but gave him crap for trying to intoxicate her nursing baby ;)
Here's a nasty picture of the pig after they unburried it. Looked gross but tasted DELICIOUS! The wonderful aroma filled the entire luau grounds. Mmmmmmmm...

And of course, some hula dancing!
And a side note: Jocelyn is on my side as I blog this and she just looked at this picture and asked, "why do they have glasses on their boobs?" Um....yeah.

Maui-Part 3

On the third day of our trip Savannah and I decided to take some surfing lessons. Can I just tell you, it was SO worth my $60. I couldn't believe how much of a workout my arms got, but the actual surfing part isn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. The company we went through for our lessons said they "guarantee you'll ride a wave in you first 2-hour lesson." I figured, if I totally suck at it, at least I'll get my money back. But I didn't suck! Savannah and I had a blast and here are some of the shots that my mom got from the beach.

Me and Savannah all suited up!
Heading toward the beach
Our surf instructor, JB
JB giving us some instruction



And here I go!
This one is Savannah
Wet and EXHAUSTED! :)

Maui-Part 2

It is now day 2 and time to veg! We headed for the pool and enjoyed our day getting sunburns and drinking delicious drinks by the pool. Heaven.

Here is Savannah texting a certain person who's name starts with a B and ends with and EN. Ooops! Did I just say that? You can't prove it. ;)

Mom, Missy, and Natalie. Soaking up some rays.
The view from my angle. Sandy feet, palm trees, ocean. Have I mentioned I'm in heaven?

Delicious nachos to share. Can you believe this is an appetizer?
All of us at sunset

Maui-Part 1

That's right, people. Maui. I, Miranda Merrell, went to Maui. It's pretty much a miracle. And to make the experience even better, I left the kids and husband home and spent the week with my sisters and mom. It's pretty much the best thing that has ever happened to me.....except for, you know, things like my wedding day and giving birth to my two amazing daughters. But really, it was amazing. So amazing, in fact, that I'm going to have to post about my trip on more than one post. So bear with me (and try not to be jealous), as I blog about my incredible week on the lovely island of Maui, Hawaii. :)

The view from the airplane. I have to tell you, I haven't flown on a plane since I was probably 6 years old and I have no memory of the experience. Airports are so stressful! I always wondered why people said they don't like to fly. Now I know. Going through security just about gave me a heart attack, and once on the plane I was gripping the seat in front of me during take-off, feeling as if I was on a roller coaster and wondering if I was going to die. Once I realized that I was not, in fact, going to die, I was okay. I can now say that I'm a little more at ease with the situation and had no problems with the rest of the flights or layovers. What an experience, though!
After some ridiculous amount of hours spent traveling, we finally arrived to our hotel! It was amazing! It was essentially made up of three buildings, in the shape of a U, and the center of the U was open to the outdoors. Beautifully landscaped and right on the ocean! I mean, RIGHT on the ocean. It went like this: Hotel, swimming pool, ocean. Couldn't have stayed at a nicer place.
This is a shot of the gigantic fish they had in various ponds around the hotel

They had little pineapples growing in the lobby! Coolness!
Straight away we headed down to the beach, so here is me being cheesy and looking very tired from traveling all day.
This is the kiddie pool. There was a big water slide hidden in the rocks to the right that emptied into 9 feet of water, but the kid places are nice and shallow and safe. Then the "Grotto" bar was underneath that waterfall over there. You just swim right under there and ask for some delicious non-alcoholic beverage and it's amazing. Just like that. If you keep swimming past another waterfall on the other side of the Grotto, you end up on the deeper parts of the swimming pool.
The view from the lobby.

Mom and Savannah at the beach.
Me, Missy, and Natalie at the restaurant by the pool.

This aint nothin' yet, so stay tuned. Maui-Part 2 is underway!

Easter Weekend in St. George

Ok, so St. George is the perfect place to spend Easter. It's official. The weather was a sunny 70 degrees, and back home it was snowing. SNOWING. In April. I guess that's what I get for living in Utah. Missy and Dale's family, the parents, and my little family all went in on a vacation home for the weekend and it was awesome! All the little families had our own bedrooms and a huge kitchen/living room area to hang out. Our backyard was awesome too, with a big red mountain forming a wall right off the grassy area. I'm pretty sure my nephews spent the whole time climbing it and exploring.
We spent a day hiking and biking Snows Canyon with my Dad and sister, Marina, which was fun. Then before we headed back home, we visited the farm that my Dad works at and then had a nice Easter BBQ in Grandma and Grandpa Naron's backyard. It was so nice to get out for a few days and enjoy some sunshine....before we drove back home to 6 inches of snow. :p The good thing about April snow is that it melts within a day or so.
In 3 weeks Ava and I will be leaving Rob and Jocelyn and will be headed to Maui with my mom and sisters for a week. Can't wait! Maybe those will be the next pictures I post... :)

Me, Ava, and a horse
I feel for you, momma goat
My family
Dad


After the hunt
Checking out her basket. She's OBSESSED with The Land Before Time right now
Cute little Ava
All the kids before the egg hunt