Holy cow! Blogger is totally different! I had to like hover over stuff to see how to post pics and write.  I am a bad, bad blogger. I don't even think I should shame the name blogger, I am a lame wannabe who owns a blog.  I am that guy who lets his old Corvette get moldy outside...

Anyway, shalom! We welcomed our baby BOY 22 days ago... Brooks Abram Merrifield (Abram was Marcus' grandpa's middle name) born 5/3 at 11:14 am and was 11.5 pounds and 20.5 inches long!  He came into the world after about 7 hours of labor and 20 minutes of pushing- what a crazy train that is, natural labor, I mean! But I am so so thankful for the experience... and look how serene I look in this picture.  I really did feel quite serene actually.  My friend Marcus there was a perfect partner as these 10 years he's come to know me so well that he knows exactly what I need in times of, uh, stress.  Which is an understated cheerleader and someone who I can hold onto but won't touch me too much :)  I couldn't have made it through without him.  He's a champ and is so supportive and he himself is blessed by witnessing the births of his children.

 Here's the little-ish guy at one week old.  He already looks so different! I forget how fast they change at this stage.

Right before the birth of our little boy we were blessed to have completed a short sale on our home! I have been SO excited to post about this, but didn't want to write anything until the deal was done.  We now live in a great neighborhood a few miles away and love where we are at, renting and feeling quite peaceful about that.  Our kids have a giant back yard to play in, we have parking and storage, and no sex offenders living close by... WIN WIN WIN!

Lots to be thankful for!

a truly pathetic post- Schoolies

I will try to type even though there is much dust on my keyboard. The shame, the shame.... anyways, my children are both in school now! Well, they have been for the past two months, but I am moving on from that lapse in mom chronicling. I must forgive myself!

Bradie started kindergarten and is doing very well! Her teacher is impressed with her skills and her sweetness, and really that's more than we could ask for. She is such an eager and enthusiastic learner. She is right on the cusp of having reading click- really she can do it, but I don't think she's quite confident enough to believe that she can. So we do lots of practicing and out loud word games where she thinks about the words she's saying and the sounds they may include. We are so proud.

Beau is in the three year old class at preschool and doing pretty well.... I think. It's quite different because I remember Bradie really blossoming noticeably when she started preschool, so maybe its a curmudgeon-y boy thing? Bradie was practically 4 when she started so maybe that is it, I don't know. And Beau is very much a 3.5 year old, although I do notice he's starting to become a bit for flexible here and there. But I do know I haven't had any calls from the teacher about behavior issues or pee in the pants :) I just know that I am enjoying my little man quite a bit, nuzzling and kissing on him lots before he gets hairy and too cool for mom to touch him in any way.

What else? Oh yes, we will be welcoming Meriweather #3 in late April. And that is such a blessing, every child is, but I think I realize it more clearly this time. After watching the door of adoption close in a slooooow, limbo-filled way and yet having a certain, remaining desire to add to our family, this seemed like a joyful and logical conclusion. I didn't think it would be a stressful surrendering of my heart, but it was, as I had many doubts. But now Marcus and I feel peace, a shared peace, over this new direction.

So, yes, there's much to be thankful for!

travelogue 2

Here it is, ma! So after three glorious days on the ocean, the m-fields packed up and met my sis and her brood and Sal up at Seatac to fly to Pennsylvania for my Uncle Bill's 70th birthday! We haven't made the trek to see this side of the fam since I was 17.... so many years, and children, ago. It was an eventful trip (can you say cancelled flight with five kids ages 3-10?) But they had good attitudes and we eventually made it out there the following day.

The rest of the trip kinda flew by, losing a day and all, and was pretty low-key, but turned out to be perfect. Here's my mom with her last living auntie Pauline, cousin Sandra and Uncle Bill on the right.

Here's the similar looking ladies of the Johnson clan :)
Here are the Mankamyers! Aunt Bonnie, cousin Scott with his bride Melissa, and Uncle Bill. The young ladies are my 2nd cousins that I SO enjoyed meeting. From the top down, they are Ally, Mia and Avery. They opened up their home, fed us, gave up their beds and busted out a 30 cup coffee percolator for our stay- all of which was much appreciated by us as we were given the clear directive from them that "mi casa es su casa"
Here's cousins enjoying some FRESH and DELICIOUS PA corn! Seriously money.
And here's cousin WWE. Seriously, it was such a blessing to have the kids be close enough in age that everyone got along and played super well together. I remember Marcus saying to Beau has he ran by "Beau! I haven't seen you all day!" Literally. Which, I'm not gonna lie, makes it almost like a true vacation for the parents too ;)

I don't want to leave anything out, so here's some bullets. I am not a big user of bullets but I thought my mom would appreciate these:)

-antiquing with sis and Auntie B

-earthquake

-Fuddruckers

-Gettysburg

-CORN... and I am not even a corn lover!

-mountain pies....mmmm.... look it up :)

-reminiscing and really listening to others relish in their memories

-sharing stories of God's call and faithfulness

-old photos of Uncle Bill rollerskating

FYI, I got so into this post that I missed my oven timer and made a batch of hockey pucks instead of ginger snaps....ooops!

travelogue 1

So this summer was noteworthy to be sure and I would be silly to not share some of what we did. In mid August we spent three nights at Seabrook with Marcus' family. If you haven't been to Seabrook, climb out from under your rock and GO! It is a fabulous place to go with family. Our weather was pristine and slightly chilly- really can't ask for much more than that when you visit the mighty Pacific.

Here's a group shot :)

On the perimeter of Seabrook's property is forest, including some of these massive old growth stumps that I just had to get a picture of. Marcus and Beau are practicing for Beau's upcoming strong man competition where he must throw 500 pound pieces of drift wood.
Marcus and I actually got about hip deep in the ocean! It was a blast! Nothing like jumping waves to make you feel young again. Although after awhile I could barely feel my feet and I was worried a wave might take me out in that feeble condition. So Marcus buried me in some warm, soft sand... it was heavenly. Until I, you know, had to get up.
Then Bradie wanted in on the action!
It was a such a perfect trip and I wouldn't have changed a thing. Here's Bradie being a monkey. We're not sure why the "monkey" comes out when the camera's on, but oh well. It's a nice picture of a handsome man.

Keep a look out for travelogue 2. There's more to our adventures. I'll try to not wait a month this time. Or maybe I will- it was kind of nice to dust off summer here since all is busy now with fall and school. Just kidding, mom!

I've been meaning to post this- my inlaws are having a house BUILT for them! Yippeeeeee! We are SO excited for them as I can think of no one who deserves it more!

Check it out by clicking on Janie's blog. She has been doing a fabulous job documenting the process.

In her words "God is so good"

For limited time only... an infomercial of sorts

Most people that read my blog know that Marcus and I have spent the last three months in submission to Tony Horton and the P90X routine. I feel a little crazy for posting PICTURES, half naked ones no less, but still here are some before and after shots with stretch marks cropped out... I mean I am not THAT crazy.

After:

Before:
So there you have it... YOU yes, YOU can look like this if you work your A$$ off for three months and not eat junk! only three EASY (but not cheap) payments and a gallon of FREE sweat can take you there!!! So what are waiting for?!

Ha. but seriously, my favorite part, and the most surprising to me, are my pectorals which are pretty BA and actually got bigger. The best part is how enjoyable it was having a "shared activity" with Marcus these last three months. We tried to do the work outs together whenever we could and celebrated one another's accomplishments.... and I hereby dare HIM to do his own post because he looks great!

Something even more treasured to me is that I just finished reading the Bible, beginning to end. I started that journey at the end of January following the 90 day reading program (woops!) but am still proud to have finished in about five months. I have been loving God's Word more and more these past few years and finally reading through non-stop has only deepened my understanding of His big picture and His holiness, and ultimately of His love for us all.

Marcus has been walking back and forth while I have been trying to formulate this post and even accused me of being long-winded! Can you believe that?! So I will sum up:

Open your Bible.

Put it on the floor.

Assume a Plank position over open Bible.

Start doing push ups while reading.

Don't stop until you have pecs,

don't stop until you are like Jesus.

Baby, you're a firework...

Happy belated Independence Day, gentle readers. I had way too much fun last night standing out in my very own driveway trying to capture the fruits of MANY neighbors' expensive hobby.

I finally figured out a small aperture and slow shutter makes for a nice exposure. I didn't use a tripod but experimented with holding the camera next to my belly while not breathing. I actually like the blur, it's very other-worldly.

Also, driving up the I-5 corridor on the 4th of July is the best of all worlds... crossing the trestle and looking at the intermittently smoky and sparkly panorama almost made me a bit emotional. Freedom is too wonderful for words sometimes.