Stay-cation part I

Erik had a week of vacation recently, and instead of spending money we don't have, we took the budget-and-kid friendly option of staying home.  We figured there was plenty to do right here and then our kids could still get naps.  Top of our list: the zoo.  We've had a membership for 6 months now, but Erik's still never gone with us.  For Christmas, "Morgan" gave him the gift of all the extra things at the zoo, like camel riding, the carousel, and feeding the giraffes.  And somehow that meant that she got to do it all too.  

Showing Dad her favorite stop, the Komodo Dragon

At the squirrel monkey exhibit, where you walk into their habitat.  It was early and there were no crowds, so they were all over the place.

Riding Isaac the camel

Morgan was not really sure this was a bonus

Sam handled it with his usual aplomb

Other activities that didn't merit pictures: shopping at IKEA and eating their meatballs, shopping at the outlet mall, and playing a lot of Candyland.  And then came the highly anticipated whirlwind visit from the grandparents, coming next...

Sam is 1

I was trying to think if there was anything blog-worthy that happened in January, and in flipping through pictures I remembered something - Sam turned one.  Whoops.  How far we've come from the days of carefully detailing Morgan's every move and expression.  Sam's only the second child, I can just imagine how much farther I'll slip with another one or two.  Sometimes I feel badly that Morgan got (and still gets) so much more attention because she came first.  But then I think he'll probably be better adjusted and less self-centered than Morgan.  I really believe that birth order impacts our personalities and abilities.

We had the family over for his party (which we all know is just an excuse to expose a baby to their first sugar rush). A few gifts, good food, and one big blue cupcake.

Erik's contribution to the party - a sheriff's badge and a gun.  Not quite what I'd envisioned.

Notice the gun in Morgan's hand now.  All of Sam's new toys have quietly been taken over.

We believe in going as garish as possible with these first birthday cupcakes in order to maximize the upcoming disaster.

He was quite tentative at first (as he probably should be of anything that color)

But he proved his Merkley blood in the end

"I'm one!  And boy is life good."

The (mostly) happy family.  Morgan doesn't share the spotlight well.

Sam is:

-crawling, pulling up on everything, scooting along couches and tables, and suddenly able to crawl an entire flight of stairs. He's very good at it, but doesn't realize that sitting back while climbing is unwise.  I need to get a gate, since we've already had too many heart-stopping moments of finding him halfway up the stairs, but I know the drama I'm going to get from the other child.  Although, ironically, it was Morgan that fell down the stairs this morning...

-talking more, saying mama, baba, dada, and babbling a lot.  He still doesn't seem to have any idea that those words stand for people.  He's entered that annoying stage at church where he wants to talk and crawl non-stop, and for the sake of everyone else's worship you spend most of church in the hallways.  Only 5 more months until nursery.

-still really sweet and snuggly, although he's so active these days that the snuggles only last a few seconds.  He loves having his back rubbed and hates having his feet tickled, just like someone else I know.

We love this boy.

January in AZ

When I look at the calendar and see January, I think coats, blankets, snow, and ice.  I've been having a hard time adjusting to the realities of an Arizona winter. It's really disconcerting to look at your car thermometer and see temperatures that used to equate shorts and t-shirts, yet I'm wearing a sweatshirt and roasting because I'm still in the mindset of January = cold.  The irony of having a protective garage is not lost on us, since we never have to scrape ice or shovel snow (although come summer it will be inaluable). Before we knew we were moving here, I bought some winter clothes on clearance for Sam, thinking I would be saving us money down the road. Instead the warm sweaters hang forlornly in his closet while he sports fall-weight clothing. I'm already dreading the 6 month summer season because my wardrobe is still very equipped for the cold weather I left behind.

There have been some real advantages though. In Utah we wouldn't want to attempt a zoo visit for at least 3 more months. We've been going to the zoo here almost weekly, and love getting to go while everyone else is in school. Parks, walks, picnics - all possible for most of the year. Today's weather? Light rain, which resulted in a thrilled little girl whose galoshes and umbrella don't get much use here.  One of the biggest perks became apparent recently when our heater started sounding like a helicopter in the middle of the night and we had to turn the heat off. Two days later, everything was fixed, but we almost wondered if we should bother repairing it. Our place stayed in the high 60's to low 70's the whole time, and it was so nice not to worry about freezing pipes or children.

I'm starting to wonder if we will feel the same way at the end of residency, or if we will be converted to the Arizona climate as the natives assure us will happen.  They say that 3 years is all it takes to make lifelong AZ residents out of us, and while I'm not sure where we'll end up, it's a good excuse to build up my summer wardrobe.

Children's Museum

We were all sleep deprived and sick after Christmas, so we headed to the local germ pool to share the love. It's the logical choice.  We did the Children's Museum the best way possible - 4 kids, 4 adults.  Still crazy.

Our little Marilyn Monroe with her beloved cousin and partner in crime.

I adore this child.

 Noodle forest was a big hit

"This looks tasty..."

"Don't mind if I do!"

There's a reason for the disinfect bucket in the baby zone.  Everything Sam touched went into it.

Just Me and My Dad

Yet another memorable outing with Erik.  He's always good enough to document these trips so that I can see what I missed out on.  Here's Morgan all ready for her big date, having gotten dressed in 3 different shades of pink and purple socks.

Nothing like killing time at the Home Depot, Morgan's favorite store.

A tiara bike helmet - safe and stylish.  So glad she didn't come home with this.

Christmas Picture Inundation

Merry Christmas from sunny Arizona!  It's always strange to celebrate Christmas when you can go caroling in flip flops, but we managed.

Morgan really "got" Christmas this year, so things like decorating the (Sam-proof) tree and looking at Christmas lights took on new excitement.  However, convincing her that Christmas was about Christ and not Santa was a tough sell.  The "Baby Jesus Playset" (aka Nativity) from the grandparents helped with that one.

  

This time of year we really missed living in Salt Lake - not the snow or ice, but the lights at Temple Square and our annual tradition of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert.  We tried to substitute the Mesa Temple lights, but our kids decided to throw tantrums that ruined any magic we might have felt.  Oh well, next year.

Morgan posing in her Christmas dress - such a girl

CHRISTMAS DAY:

Morgan got a lot of books for Christmas, but kept stopping to read each one instead of opening the rest.

Sam didn't really get it, but he enjoyed eating the paper.

Erik's contribution to the stockings - sparklers...

The big gift of 2012 - Santa's interpretation of "I want a real horse!"

A surprisingly big hit - galoshes.  They were also very popular with her cousin Will :)

Morgan's gift to Daddy (I did most of the coloring, she lost interest after a few minutes)

What more could you want for Christmas?!

Hope you all had a merry Christmas and were able to spend time with the ones you love.  

"People Who Need People"

Having two kids instead of one means all sorts of changes - it takes longer to get everyone in the car, your own dinner gets pushed back farther or doesn't get remembered at all, there are two to cause night disturbances, and suddenly the cost of feeding and clothing your kids skyrockets.  It just seems like everything takes longer to do and more things don't get done.  However, I'm beginning to see the first glimmers of why you have more than one child.  Recently, Sam has become a lot more interesting (waving, clapping, crawling, playing more with toys) and Morgan is reevaluating her pint-sized sidekick.  Granted, she's realizing that he can suddenly get into all her stuff and that she might actually have to clean up after herself.  And that she doesn't really like it when he plays with "her" toys.  But with that is the dawning awareness of a new and permanent playmate who is not named Mommy, for which I give thanks.  Morgan needs people like most of us need our cell phones.  If it's not within reach, we get a little panicky.  When I go up the stairs, Morgan follows, even when I tell her I'm coming right back down.  When I go into the next room, she comes too.  There have been times when I've locked myself into my bedroom because I need a minute of personal space, and that's the only way I can get it.  And then she bangs on the door and screams until I open it.  The thought of Morgan and Sam happily playing (or fighting) together, sans me, fills my personal space bubble with joy.

Morgan's little people issue might be behind our ongoing dilemma with bedtimes.  Sleep has never been much of a problem with Morgan; she took great naps and slept in late in the morning.  I loved that about her.  Ever since we took her crib rail off and inserted the toddler slat, though, she's been testing boundaries and fighting her routine.  Potty training only made that worse, because she learned quickly that I couldn't really say no to her bladder (although after the 5th "I need to go potty" in a half hour, I started to get suspicious...). It seems like it takes a full hour sometimes to really get her to bed, and then she comes in a few times each night to tell me she has to use the bathroom, and then she trots in at 6 AM to breathe on me.  Nap times are terrible; full of potty trips, requests for her socks to be taken off, her sweater put back on, her pillow fixed, her ponytail taken out - anything she can think of to escape her room and make me crazy.  We bought her a pink clock and carefully taught her when she can get up, and even though she understands perfectly, she doesn't follow it.  We've tried threats, bribes, negative and positive reinforcement, ignoring, yelling, the other day I even took a present away from under the tree.  She screams and sobs when I take things away from her, but it makes no difference in her behavior.  So I've started to think that it's about people.  When she's in bed, she's isolated from the rest of us and is all alone.  And I think that she hates that more than being punished or losing things.  However, I hate that she's cranky all the time because she's tired, and I hate not having any kind of private time from my kid.  Solution: we turned her door knob backwards so that I can lock her in her room.  There are some out there who think that's barbaric.  I say that I've tried all their "humane" ideas and nothing has worked.  One lady commented online that being a mom means being tired and on call 24/7 for 18 years, so stop locking your kid in their room and start being selfless.  I think that's ridiculous.  Being a parent is about teaching boundaries, reinforcing consequences, sticking to schedules, and showing kids how the real world works.  And me going crazy isn't going to help my kids.

I'm stepping off my soapbox now, a little sheepishly.  Next post will be filled with fluffy lighthearted pictures and commentary, I promise, and help assuage your doubts about my parenting qualifications.