Christmas Program

Last Friday was Merrick's last day of school for the year. The kids put on the cutest Christmas program! His class sang 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer'. You can see Merrick front and center with the striped blue and gray sweater. And he's the one with the loudest voice. And he may or may not be the one -- picking his nose (?!?!)

Decorating the Tree

We had a fun-filled weekend of soccer practice for Merrick, Christmas shopping, attending a friend's house for a very nice Hannukah celebration and delicious meal, more Christmas shopping, running in the rain for me, and picking out a tree.

It rained all afternoon and evening on Sunday, which gave us the perfect excuse to decorate the inside of our house with all our Christmas decor. Then we put on Christmas music, made hot chocolate, and had so much fun decorating the tree. This is the first year Merrick is truly appreciating the holidays and understanding the traditions. He loves singing Christmas songs, loves hearing the stories about Rudolph and Frosty, and the threat of Santa not delivering presents actually works!

Some pictures below from our tree selecting/decorating - don't you just love the chokehold Merrick has on Dexter in the third picture:

Thankful

We had the most fantastic Thanksgiving week when Uncle David, Aunt Teri, Willow and Wren came out to visit us all the way from Florida.

We are so thankful for a week of ---

lounging,

sightseeing,

crashing,

and clowning with our cousins!

Our Halloween Dinosaur

4th Annual Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

On Sunday we met with some friends of ours at a pumpkin patch in Morgan Hill (about 45 minutes southeast of our house).

We had a fabulous time, and this place definitely took top prize in our list of pumpkin patches that we've experienced. The farm was about 70 acres, with pumpkins of every color, shape and size you can imagine, as well as rows and rows of marigolds and sunflowers. There was a train ride, hay ride, bales of hay to jump on, a corn maze, and of course lots of pumpkins to choose. The kids had a blast!

And I musn't forget there were hundreds of scarecrows throughout the farm - all of them had name tags - and Merrick was completely obsessed with knowing every.single.solitary scarecrow's name. And, we had to tell him each name more than once.

Merrick's First Camping Trip

Craig recently decided it was time for Merrick to experience his first time camping. And what better place to break out all the gear for the first time in many years than right in our own back yard? We bought a little charcoal grill, brats for the boys and a veggie dog for me, baked beans, macaroni salad, and of course the meal couldn't be a successful camping meal without s'mores.

Merrick was loving every minute of it. Much to my chagrin (no really, I was truly disappointed, really), we remembered that there were only 2 sleeping bags and there just wouldn't be enough room for me to camp out there with them. So at the end of the night I parted ways with my campers and begrudgingly made my way to the really comfortable, warm bed -- sigh -- while Craig and Merrick were cozied up under the stars.

I have to admit I wasn't certain how long it would be before the novelty wore off and the two of them came stumbling into the house in the middle of the night searching for the comfort of their warm beds. But I was very surprised and proud that they actually made it until 5AM - and the only reason they didn't finish the entire night out there is because Craig forgot to turn off the sprinklers so they were awakened by a nice little shower (we made a note that we need to make sure we get a new WATERPROOF tent).

Bend it Nothing Like Beckham

I recently signed Merrick up for an 8 week session of soccer lessons. Every Saturday, bright and early at 9AM, we meet with about 25 other 3-5 year olds for a half hour of pure joy, love of competition and passion for the game. Except, not exactly like that. Don't let these soccer moms fool you. Here's how it really goes down...

1) They really wanted to torture the parents, so they decided practice would take place on a field strategically located right smack in the middle of two amazingly fun-looking play structures. I mean clearly, what 3 year old child would be interested in play structures when you have the opportunity to listen to a coach drill soccer technique into your head?

2) Never underestimate the intimidation power of a group of 3-5 year olds. I would say out of the group, about 1/3 of the kids had already done this before and knew the drill, therefore were not shy in the least when it came to getting out there on the field and interacting. The other 2/3? A combination of crying because they didn't want to play, crying because they wanted to be on the play structure, crying just to cry, you get the drift. Merrick all in all did pretty good...he wasn't crying, but I did have to hold his hand during the entire lesson. We were attached at the hip.

3) Throw the idea of rules completely out the window. During a session of practicing dribbling and then kicking into the goal, Merrick decided - why on earth would you kick the ball into the goal when you can just pick it up and walk it in? So that's exactly what he did. And continued to do the rest of the lesson.

All in all, I think after a few sessions he'll start to get into it a little more. My M.O. is to bribe him -- if he participates in the soccer session, I'll let him play on the structures after the lesson is over. Certainly I don't want to force him into anything he's not excited about....but I at least want to get my money's worth for this session!

Mori Point

We found another great hiking spot recently that we took both Merrick and Dexter to - just outside of Pacifica. I was so proud of Merrick - he probably hiked about 1.5 miles that day...which for his little legs was quite a feat. I think Dexter had the most fun though, he's been getting the short end of the stick lately and was so happy to be out on a hike!

I Pledge Allegiance...

This morning I heard Merrick actually recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Crazy, I had no idea he even knew this - this school of his never ceases to amaze me. Even if he does get the words a little jumbled at the end; even if he does mix up his right hand with his left hand; even if he does put his hand on his tummy instead if his heart; he probably knows it better than some adults!

Swimming Lessons

A couple weeks ago we enrolled Merrick into swimming lessons. This is the first time he's ever had formal swimming lessons, and Craig and I have to sit on the sidelines while he is with the instructor. The instructor is fabulous - very calm, engaging with the kids and patient.

The class is every Tuesday and Thursday evening, and there are a total of 4 kids in his class. The teacher has a platform that she puts right in the middle of this 3 1/2 foot deep pool area, and they basically stand on the platform and hang onto a bar while the teacher takes turns with each one of them.

Can I just say that during the ENTIRE half hour session I am staring at him like a hawk with my heart pounding at about 200 beats per minute, ready to pounce into the water in 2.5 seconds flat? It drives me absolutely insane to see him standing on a platform in the middle of this pool, waiting for him to fall off the minute he lets go of the bar. If anyone wants to torture me, this is the way to do it. I am at maximum anxiety level the entire time, which I hate so much, because Merrick absolutely loves every minute of the lesson. I know it's not logical. There are instructors, lifeguards, me, Craig...there's no way this kid is going to drown. But my body just does not want to accept this logic.

Now, I will say in my defense that Merrick has in fact let go of the bar lots of times, and has already fallen off the platform twice and the teacher has had to fish him out. But really, he was probably bobbing in the water for no more than 3-5 seconds before she had him. Of course both times I'm yelling the instructor's name (despite the fact that she's all over it) and have one foot in the pool already. Poor instructor, she must think I'm nutso.

Sigh...I really, really hope for my own sake that I can let loose a little during these sessions, and soon. But Merrick is having so much fun with swimming, we wouldn't dream of discontinuing. A few pictures of him and his fellow hooligans below:

Hallelujah!!

It's happened!! It's happened!! The day I've been anticipating for a year now has finally arrived - my 3 year and 3 month old son is officially potty trained!! (Insert angelic choir, trumpets, harp and parting skies to the heavens here).

I swear (well, not in front of Merrick) that we have tried everything under the sun to get this kid potty trained. We tried bribing him with chocolate and candies. We tried bribing him with toys. We tried all sorts of underwear from Elmo to airplanes to cars. Each would last for a couple days off and on and then it was back to the Pull Ups.

We even tried, as a last resort, saying to him after he turned 3 - "okay honey, you are such a big boy now so we are going to go through the house and get rid of all the Pull Ups!"....this was over a weekend and while there were many accidents (to be expected) and MUCH fussing, we stuck to our guns. But then once he got to school I got a call from the teacher in the late afternoon about how Merrick had a big sobbing meltdown at school about it, so she finally put him back into Pull Ups. "It's just not like Merrick to get so upset, so I didn't feel right making him wear underwear". Hmm....guess she hasn't been privy to our cryfests and meltdowns here at home. But it also made me feel bad - I didn't want Merrick so upset over this.

After Craig and I talked, we didn't feel right forcing him into doing this either if he wasn't ready. Merrick really does like to have control and there are plenty of other battles I have to fight in this area. I just didn't think this was worth making it a battle - I wanted it to be HIS accomplishment.

So we took our final and last approach...we pretended we didn't care. Every morning we would casually say, as he was getting dressed, "do you want to wear underwear or Pull Ups?" And every morning, the answer was "Pull Ups". He would occassionally use the potty at home, but NEVER at school. After over 3 months of this, I was really starting to think we were going to be sending him off to college with a year's supply of Pull Ups. But we stuck to it, we were NOT going to push this issue; we needed him to do it on his own.

All of the sudden, last Friday when I picked him up from school, a teacher that is not his regular casually mentioned that he used the potty. He had NEVER, EVER, EVER done that at his school. I was so surprised!! So I told him how proud I was, etc, and he said "Mommy, I'm done with Pull Ups".

I hesitated celebrating too early because I thought maybe he'd go back to Pull Ups the next day. But he meant it - he hasn't gone back to Pull Ups. So here we are, 1 week later, and he is officially potty trained!!!!

What Have We Been Up To?

This weekend we've been laying a little low, just trying to catch up on things around the house, etc. Merrick and I played around the house yesterday and went to a birthday party in the afternoon.

Later yesterday evening, Craig and I went on a date night for the first time in about 8 months to a restaurant called '231 Ellsworth' in San Mateo. We chose to do the 5 course prix-fixe menu with the wine pairing and both of us found it to be really delicious! Being a vegetarian, it's really challenging to find a chef who is able and willing to create vegetarian dishes with bold and creative flavors - he did a fantastic job. the sommelier also did a great wine pairing with our courses. I think our only complaint is that the ambiance was a bit stuffy and out-of-date. But it was really fantastic to get out and spend quality time together. And Ms. Carmen (she used to teach at Merrick's school) really loves Merrick (he loves her as well), so Merrick had a blast. Craig and I decided we'll try to do this about once a month.

Last weekend, we had a lot of fun exploring new places.

On Saturday, I took Merrick to a free museum and playground in Palo Alto. It was perfect for a laid back Saturday. We first explored the playground and had a picnic. Then we went into the museum -- the theme is centered around energy conservation and renewable energy sources. Merrick got a chance to explore how to create energy using the sun and wind. Doesn't get much more California than that now does it? :)



Then on Sunday Craig and I took him to Yerba Buena Gardens right in the heart of San Francisco. It was really a great place -- lots of beautiful garden areas, then a small children's museum with a playground and a carousel. We finished off the evening with dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant, and I was so proud of Merrick for trying new things and happily enjoying the lemongrass chicken dish we ordered for him. Pictures below:

20 Questions with Merrick

I actually did a 20 questions round with Merrick shortly after his 3rd birthday, but then I lost my notes in a messy pile on my desk and just found them as I was doing a little cleaning! So here you go - Merrick unedited, uncensored, unleashed:

1) What is your favorite color? "Red"

2) What is your favorite dessert? "Sprinkle cookies" (You know those big sugar cookies with about a half inch thick frosting and a few sprinkles on the top that you can get at the grocery store? Probably the worst thing you can eat in the world? Ya, those are the ones...I'd be lying if I said they weren't a vice of mine as well.)

3) Favorite instrument? "The guitar"

4) Favorite dinner? "Chicken nuggeys and ketchup, and Chipotle!"

5) Favorite thing to do with Mommy and Daddy? "Go to Gilroy Gardens with the splash park and the spinny cups."

6) Favorite thing to do at school? "The vacuum (surprise surprise), broom, puppets and costumes. I like to dress up as a biting pirate."

7) Who is your best friend at school? "Robby"

8) Why is Robby your best friend? "Because he said he is."

9) What are your favorite fruits? "Nectarine, pluots, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries."

10) What is your favorite vegetable? "Corn"

11) What's your favorite thing to drink? "Chocolate milk"

12) What's your favorite animal? "Kitty cat"

13) What's your favorite movie? "Monsters, Inc."

14) What's your favorite book? "Marley & the Kittens"

15) What's your favorite song? "Lighthouse and This Side" (Nickel Creek), "Green Eyes" (Coldplay), "Just Dance" (Lady Gaga), "The Rainbow Song" (I had to stop here because he probably would have gone on for another hour. In fact, if I asked him this question every day I think I would get a different answer...he loves songs, and lots of them.)

16) What do you want to do when you grow up? "Go on the banana ride" (this is a ride in Gilroy Gardens he wants to ride, but you have to be 48"...he has about 12" to go)

17) Okay let me clarify - what do you want to do for work when you grow up? "Be a Dr. Mas, or maybe an eye" (Dr. Mas was his pediatrician in St. Augustine and was the BEST. As for being an eye? I have no clue!)

18) What do you like most about Mommy and Daddy? "Loving you"

19) What's your favorite thing to do outside? "Rock climbing"

20) What's your favorite thing to do inside? "Read"

Amazing 4th of July Weekend

Okay, this one is definitely going to go down in the history books as one of the best 4th of July weekends we've had (had family been here to celebrate with us, and had we been able to spend Aunt Teri's birthday with her, it would have been THE best - hand's down!).

Let's see, where to begin. Saturday Merrick and I had a nice, leisurely day at Happy Hollow while Craig did some work.

On the 4th of July - Sunday - we met with some friends to go the parade in Menlo Park. This was the perfect family event, and I'm certain we'll have this as part of our annual tradition as long as we're here in the Bay Area. The parade was so cool because all the kids were able to decorate their bicycles or scooters and actually be a part of the parade themselves.

Here's Merrick's creation:

The start of the parade:

Merrick got about halfway through before he turned the keys over to Daddy to finish:

After the parade, we were able to find the PERFECT spot in the shade for a nice picnic lunch:

Then after lunch the kids got to go crazy running between all the different bounce houses that were set up. I kid you not, there were probably 6-8 bounce houses for them to choose from:

After that, 3 hour naps were had by all -- well, by Merrick -- so he was well rested for the fireworks that evening. We bought tickets to attend the San Francisco Symphony at the Amphitheater here in Mountain View. Fireworks kicked off close to 10PM - they were fantastic!

But was that the end of our incredible weekend? Oh no, not at all!

Monday we woke up and decided we had had enough of the heat (which really was NOT bad AT ALL in comparison to a summer in FL) and headed to Half Moon Bay to spend some time on the coast.

See, in CA we are spoiled like that. A little too hot? Head about a half hour north or west and see the temperature drop about 20 degrees. Too chilly? Go just a little east or south.

We stopped in for lunch at this cozy spot right on the beach:
Merrick made me so proud by venturing out a little on his menu choice. I know, it's macaroni & cheese. But I can count on 1 hand, maybe 2 fingers, how many times he's ordered something other than chicken nuggets.

Then we played on the beach for a little bit. CHILLY!!

I saw this really cool, unique house right on the beach and had to take a picture of it - the flowers were gorgeous!

So there you have it, yet another fun-filled weekend in this AMAZING state.