More Big News

Sassy Abbey started Preschool! I can't believe it!! It has been a lot of fun. She was accepted into Amanecer Preschool in the Gilbert School district. What that means is she was accepted into the special education program for her speech. It is paid for by the state which is GREAT!! And she gets to go to Boulder Creek Elementary five days a week for three hours in the morning. (She will go to Kindergarten there so its nice to get acquainted with the school early) It is really reassuring that she will be receiving a little help with her speech anxiety, even seeing a speech therapist once a week! I just hope she doesn't progress too fast so she can continue going there for the full year! If she meets all her goals she will no longer qualify... which means we will have to pay for preschool!!

She is in love with school. She rides the bus to and from school everyday and can't get enough. Abbey has never not wanted to go to school. I love seeing her come off the bus and bring home her papers. She has already progressed with expressing herself through talking and is learning so much. Abbey has become quite the mature girl and cracks me up with the things and phrases she uses. ( some of my favorite... when everything was "amazing!", how things that happened to her yesterday or a year ago all happened "last week", and most recently how things make her "nervous!" like when mom starts tickling her!) I hear all about her classmates, Teacher Julie, and Miss Kim! Its so fun!!

Here are some pictures...

We went to meet Abbey's teacher a few days before school started. Abbey was very serious (as expected with her) and wouldn't crack a smile. But she loved the class room and soon found some cool things to play with.



We were asked to decorate a puzzle piece for her class wall. She had so much fun with this and was very involved. Everything had to be approved by her and she told me where to put things (with a few suggestions from me). She was especially proud of gluing on her jewels!



This was her official first day of school. She was nervous but ready to go. I was nervous about her riding the bus... so I followed it to her school to make sure she was all right. As you can see in the dark picture of her in the bus window, she was just fine!


This was the first thing she did when she got home... ride her bike

First of many papers to be brought home! She loves revealing what is in her bag from school.


Last but not least... first school picture. She brought these babies home today. I can't stop laughing at them. They are so her in front of other people!! Man I love this little girl!

As Promised (a day late)

Okay, so it isn't exactly "tomorrow!" But here is the biggest thing that has been happening since my last update back in June.

We found out that I was pregnant the end of June. This came as a surprise since we weren't trying at all to get pregnant... and it wasn't due to carelessness on our part! It was meant to be, just a year earlier than we planned. It took a little to become truly happy and excited. The problem was I had just witnessed my sister have her third baby boy and I could remember the whole experience of giving birth all too well. I wasn't quite ready to have my body go through all that again. But what do you do?!? Accept and get excited!
(This was taken the day we found out, after the tears were dried up!)

It really gets me excited when I find out the gender of the baby (makes it more real). We found out this month that it will be another boy for the Merrill's. As everything with this pregnancy, that came as a surprise too. I thought it was going to be a girl. It felt like a girl pregnancy (I can smell everything like my pregnancy with Abbey). Abbey was so sure it was going to be a girl too. I kept warning her that it might be another brother. We have made peace with having another brother in the house and are getting really excited to have a little one around. I'm most excited that Mike will have a brother to be close with. They will be almost exactly two years apart. Mike's b-day is mid February and this little guy is due the 28th of February.
( I know these pictures are a little scary, that is if you can tell what everything is!)

So for now we are just trying to get the perfect name for baby boy. Can't wait to meet him. I think he will be a lot of fun, he already is a very active little guy and strong!! (obviously had to be to get here in the first place!!) I have a feeling that I'm going to have my hands full. Oh dear, what am I going to do?!?

YES

Yes, it has been a long time since my last post...

Yes, it is true my last post was right before I figured out why I was so cranky and tired...

Yes, I found out we were pregnant (surprise! we are five months along now)...

Yes, it is another boy...

Yes, these facts, and the fact that Michael is crazy when I'm on the computer, are the reasons why I haven't posted for awhile...

Yes, I will started posting again... tomorrow.

Lilia's Birthday

January 24th

My cousin Stephanie's little girl, Lilia, turned one in January.

We were invited to her birthday party at the park.
Mike was his usual sweet self...


Where as Abbey was quite sassy!

That is until she saw the cupcakes...

She was more than happy to give a smile to the camera for one of those!

Watermelon

We are loving watermelon over at our house!

Sweet...

Cool...

Pink...

and Refreshing!

Whats not to love about Watermelon!

Put on Your Thinking Cap

Tim is going back to school!! Actually, I really don't think going "back" is the right term. With the exception of the credits from going through the Academy, It seems he doesn't really have any credits from his so called semesters up at EA and in Utah! He has been very excited to get back and decided to go through University of Phoenix online. So I know I will be seeing this a lot...
And true to his Merrill genes... he already is ahead in his assignments (such an overachiever!). In fact he has been told by a counselor that he has been his best student with how much he has been on top of everything. Yeah... his classes just started this Monday!

June's Live In's...

June is already flying by! Time seems to have gone by quicker due to how much fun that has been had at the Merrill's house. What have we been doing you wonder? We have been housing my sister Carrie and her new husband Dan (pictures of their wedding coming soon).
They temporarily moved in June 1st to have a place to wait for the house they are buying to close. As of last night, they are officially home owners and slept their first night in their own room on a real mattress (instead of an air mattress on the floor of Mike's room)!

We have had fun these last two weeks. We made sure to have great dinners (since I actually had someone to cook for at night) and ice cream desserts. I think I gained at least 10 pounds! There was plenty video game playing... Lego Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones.

Lots of time with the kids running around and playing.
(Abbey loved all of Aunt Carrie's makeup!)
(Aunt Carrie let Abbey put makeup on her, and Abbey got treated to makeup by Aunt Carrie)

(Mike loved Aunt Carrie's scarf and sunglasses. He also loves to high five and growl thanks to Uncle Dan!)

And of course a lot of late nights, whether it was watching Star Wars the movies or babies waking up... always followed by early mornings. I'm sure Carrie and Dan are so happy to be in their own house were it is very quiet! But they will be missed. Abigail and Mike love Aunt Carrie and Uncle Dan, and I loved having someone to entertain and keep me company. Now only one more thing to be moved out of our house... Harry the cat. He will be joining Carrie and Dan (since he is, after all, Carrie's cat).